Covid denier banned from visiting hospitals
She claimed sites including St Richard's in Chichester were empty
Last updated 3rd Feb 2021
A woman who used social media posts to falsely claim hospital wards across the South were empty during the coronavirus crisis has been banned from sites across the UK.
30-year-old Hannah Dean, from Fareham in Hampshire, shared images online which purported to show empty beds at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, Southampton General Hospital, the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and The Royal Bournemouth.
She used these to claim that the Government was 'lying' about the scale of the pandemic.
In a statement, Sussex Police said it had issued Dean with a Community Protection Warning.
This prevents her from attending any hospital apart from when she has a prior appointment, is a dependent or there is a medical emergency; and to not encourage, endorse or incite another person to breach Covid restrictions.
She was then issued with a Community Protection Notice on Monday (February 1st) after breaching the conditions of the warning on the same day of the order being issued.
Dean faces arrest, fines of up to £2,500 and possible criminal prosecution if she breaches the notice.
Chief Inspector Jon Carter of Sussex Police said:
“There are a variety of tactics of dealing with this kind of unacceptable behaviour.
"We are working together with Hampshire Constabulary to ensure the best avenues to deter this behaviour from continuing are taken.”
In a statement released last month, the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs St Richard's, condemned what it called 'disrespectful' information being shared online.
It added that teams were caring for more people now than at the height of the first wave of the virus last April.
A spokesperson for the Western Sussex Hospitals trust said:
"We must stress, pictures of empty corridors do not mean our wards and intensive care units are empty.
"This is an extremely difficult situation for us all and it is really important that we support each other and act responsibly.
"Please do not attend our hospitals unless you have an appointment, have arranged to visit a loved one or it is an emergency.
"You can help save lives by keeping yourself safe. Please stay home."
Hampshire Constabulary has also been approached for comment.