Covid: Mustard Seed cafe owner faces £21,000 bill

The Mustard Seed's owner had already lost an appeal against the court fine

The owner of a Christian cafe and book shop has been fined for repeatedly opening during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The Mustard Seed in Gedling, Nottinghamshire, was served a closure order in November 2020 after refusing to shut.

Earlier this year, 71-year-old Christine Stala lost an appeal over a court fine.

At Nottingham Crown Court she was ordered to pay £10,560 in fines plus £11,190 in council and legal costs.

Officers previously said they had reports of "40 to 50 people" inside the cafe between 12 and 19 November 2020, and Stala was served with a three-month closure order.

At the time England was under its second lockdown - from 31 October until 2 December - which required hospitality venues to close.

'Deliberate breaches'

During lockdown, Stala, of Cornwall's Hill, Lambley, told the BBC she did not believe the government's figures on infection and death rates.

She also claimed the 800-year-old Magna Carta document gave her the right to remain open, which was untrue.

The business faced fixed penalty notices totalling around £17,000 and when these were not paid, the case went to court.

Today, Judge Jacqueline Coe said: "These were deliberate breaches, she had in fact admitted three of them, although today she continues to deny she did anything wrong.

"Her denial is based on that she did not agree with the regulations that were in force.

"Those regulations were put in place to protect people and the NHS from the threat of the coronavirus."

Stala was also ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge and £510 in earlier court costs.