Judge orders Cinema & Co to close

A judge at Swansea magistrates court has ordered Independent Swansea cinema Cinema & Co to close for failing to protect the public against COVID

In summing up, District Judge Neal Thomas said he was satisfied that the council’s application “has been properly brought under the Public Health Act” and granted the closure request.

Judge Thomas added: “It’s clear from the evidence the local authority is trying to do no more than their job. To try and reduce the risk of a transmission of a disease.”

The cinema must now close for “56 days or if the business provides written information to the authority evidencing that they have put in place reasonable measures to minimise the transmission of covid 19.”

Cinema owner, Anna Redfern was ordered to pay Swansea Council’s costs of £5,265.

In court, cinema owner Anna Redfern, who was representing herself, asked the judge for the hearing to be deferred for a further 21 days to allow her to make her case.

Judge Thomas rejected the request saying that “we’ve known about this case for some particular time. You could have discussed this last week.”

Ms Redfern failed to attend the previous court date on Thursday 25 November which the judge adjourned for the council to submit more information.

Ahead of this new court date, the council issued a statement urging the independent cinema and coffee shop to address serious covid health concerns.

Lee Reynolds, the barrister prosecuting on behalf of Swansea Council said in court that Redfern “seems to think this pandemic doesn’t exist”.

He added: “This is not a theoretical risk, the officers have attended, seen the lack of signage, lack of anti-bacterial hand wash.

“It is based on the eye witness account of officers who have attended and can, on oath, put forward a position why these premises could be infected or contaminated due to the way they are run.”

“Businesses are given directions to minimise the risk of infection and contamination, and the way these premises are being run means they may be contaminated.”

Ms Redfern said that there was “no case to answer” and accused the council of unlawfully closing her business down.

Mr Reynolds on behalf of Swansea Council countered that on the issue of accusations of unlawfulness that “we simply don’t know the legalities as to why that’s been suggested.”

Swansea Council originally instructed Cinema & Co to close on Friday 19 November saying that that the business had not completed a COVID risk assessment, staff had no training on how to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and there was no implementation of the COVID pass scheme.

It was also noted that there was no signage advising customers to wear face coverings and there was inadequate cleaning products to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Owner Anna Redfern ignored the closure request, stating on social media that she was taking a stand and “will not allow a council officer with a clipboard to end my right to provide for my family”.

She previously described the Welsh Government’s COVID pass regulations as “discriminatory and unlawful”.

A separate closure notice was also brought by the Welsh Government on Friday 26 November, however the business ignored this and reopened once again on Sunday.

With Anna Redfern and Cinema & Co ignoring two previous orders to close, it remains to be seen whether it will adhere to a third.

In court, the council’s barrister said if the venue fails to close “there is going to be an application for her to be in contempt of court which could result in a custodial sentence.”

A crowd-funder for the independent cinema set up by former Brexit Party & Abolish the Welsh Assembly candidate Richard Taylor, has raised over £60,000 so far.

(Lead image: Cinema & Co / twitter)