Covid: Cinema & Co owner 's contempt conviction scrapped

Anna Redfern was served with a council closure notice on 18 November, but Cinema & Co continued to open into December

A cinema owner's conviction for contempt of court, after she opened despite a Covid closure order, has been scrubbed off her record.

Anna Redfern, 45, reopened Swansea's Cinema & Co despite being ordered to close by a judge on 30 November.

After admitting six charges, including contempt of court, she was sentenced to 28 days in prison, suspended for nine months, and ordered to pay £15,000.

However, the contempt charge was taken off her record at Swansea Crown Court.

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Covid passes were made mandatory for cinemas in Wales on 15 November 2021, but Redfern said she would not be enforcing them, claiming they were an infringement on human rights.

Both Swansea council and the Welsh government ordered her to close the premises, with a district judge warning Redfern she would be in contempt of court if she reopened.

The cinema opened a day after a judge ordered it to close

Santa Claus: The Movie was shown on 1 December, with the owner admitting contempt of court, criminal damage and four breaches of coronavirus regulations later that month.

At a hearing last week, Judge Paul Thomas allowed Redfern's barrister Sarah Wood to withdraw the guilty plea for contempt - a process known as vacating a plea.

Once that was done, the prosecution withdrew the offence before any new plea was entered, meaning the defendant no longer stands convicted of contempt.

At the hearing, it was also confirmed Redfern would appeal against the level of fines for breaching Covid restrictions, but she will not appeal against the convictions themselves.

A hearing for this will take place on 12 September.