'The police got it wrong': Fareham musician and anti-vaxxer cleared of breaching Covid-19 regulations after attending Bournemouth protest

Joe Ward, lead signer of musical duo The Jays, was charged with being in a gathering of over two people.

The Fareham resident appeared at an anti-lockdown protest in Bournemouth in November 21, 2020 – speaking on stage through a megaphone.

He was arrested and charged with organising the demonstration – that charge was later dropped.

On September 26 this year, he was cleared of breaking those laws after representing himself at Poole Magistrates Court.

Mr Ward, who has an anti-vaccination stance, told The News: ‘It was in the middle of lockdown, and I didn’t want to go with a court-appointed lawyer, because I knew they would advise me to plead it out and pay the fine.

‘We contacted up to 10 human rights lawyers and no one would touch this case.’

The entertainer was a speaker at the Stand Up X protest in Exeter Crescent, having previously attended demonstrations including those in Hyde Park, London.

After it ended, Mr Ward was detained alongside co-defendant Michael Stride.

They were charged with breaking Coronavirus regulation 9, in place as of November 5: ‘No person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public outdoor place and consists of more than two people,’ and regulation 20, which states they broke Covid laws ‘without reasonable excuse’.

The 30-year-old was kept in a cell for hours, and has attended six court dates since.

He said: ‘When I was arrested, I was unco-operative with them and didn’t give them my details.

‘I thought it was an admission of guilt.

‘i had to run to the last train to get back to Bournemouth from Poole where my car was.’

According to court documents, the prosecution argued he was ‘actively participating’ in the demonstration and cited recorded footage.

A witness statement from the officer said he detained Mr Ward while stood in a group of ‘a number of persons’, and was ‘potentially violent’.

The defence said recorded footage at the trial showed the singer stood on his own.

Mr Ward said: ‘All I was arrested for was standing on my own at a protest, I didn’t goad anyone else.

‘I felt like I didn’t do anything wrong, so I wanted to fight the case and represent myself, so I could be honest and give the best explanation of what happened that day.

‘We managed to prove our innocence because they only arrested us and no-one else at the demonstration. The police got it wrong.’

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The defence cited an Exeter Magistrates’ Court case – Murdoch and Tasker – where the judge stated no decision could be given on whether a speaker is considered as participating in a gathering, and that a person’s right to peaceful assembly had to be respected.

Mr Ward was cleared, and said he was pleased with the outcome.

‘In the end to be told by a judge, whether they agreed with my cause or not, that I stood strongly for my beliefs, is all the justice I needed,’ he added.

‘It’s a massive relief to have it off my shoulders and feel I was justified in the cause I was fighting for.’