Piers Corbyn charges dropped after anti-mask protest in Sheffield

The 73-year-old brother of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had been charged with three offences under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, following a demonstration in Sheffield city centre on September 5.

It was alleged that Piers Corbyn, of East Street, London, had arranged and facilitated, then participated in, a gathering of more than 30 people that day.

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He was also accused of failing to wear a face covering in a required area and had been bailed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court this month.

But the Crown Prosecution Service said all charges had been dropped following a review of the evidence.

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A CPS spokeswoman said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has carefully reviewed this case and decided that the legal test for a prosecution was not met.”

The CPS said there were a number of exemptions to the rules which in this case would not be able to be disproved.

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Around 300 people attended the protest in September, at which demonstrators called for an end to nationwide lockdowns and the enforcement of mandatory mask wearing.

At a subsequent rally in Sheffield last month, Mr Corbyn told those gathered that he was suing South Yorkshire Police for what he described as his wrongful arrest and imprisonment in September.

The CPS said that every case was kept under review and its decision to drop the charges had been made on the evidence available to it at the time, following the police investigation into what happened.