Moment police discover a dozen people hiding in restaurant playing DOMINOES as they issue fines to group for breaking Tier 4 Covid rules
- Police in Whitechapel, East London, find 12 men playing dominoes at restaurant
- Footage shows group in a darkened room as police arrive at venue on Tuesday
- Police say the owner initially claimed that only workers were inside the building
A dozen people found hiding in the back room of a restaurant to play dominoes have been fined for breaking Tier 4 Covid-19 rules.
Body-worn camera footage taken on Tuesday shows police speaking to the owner of a restaurant on Whitechapel Road in Tower Hamlets, East London.
Met Police say the owner initially told officers there were only workers inside the building.
Police say the East London restaurant owner initially claimed only staff were inside the venue, but later admitted there were a dozen people in a back room
But footage taken from the scene shows a group of people emerging from a back room.
The owner can be heard telling police: ‘A lot of these youngsters, they don’t have a mask on and they’re playing dominoes.’
Shortly afterwards, the group can be seen emerging from the room, before the owner ushers them back in, telling them to come out one by one.
A dozen people were found in a dark room at the back of a restaurant in Whitechapel, East London, on Tuesday
As the group began to emerge from the room, the owner urged them to only come out one by one, after telling police they were playing dominoes
Tier 4 lockdown rules allow restaurants to stay open for delivery, but the public has been advised to stay at home.
As of December 28, Tower Hamlets in East London had a seven-day infection rate of 996 per 100,000 people.
All 12 people were issued Fixed Penalty Notice’s, while Scotland Yard has referred the restaurant to Tower Hamlets Council for consideration of a fine.
All 12 people were fined on Tuesday after they were found breaching Tier 4 lockdown rules
The restaurant’s owner has been referred to Tower Hamlets Council for consideration of a fine. The local authority recorded a seven-day Covid-19 rate of 996 per 100,000 people on December 28
Chief Inspector Pete Shaw, from the Central East BCU said: ‘The rules under Tier 4 are in place to keep all of us safe, and they do not exempt people from gathering to play games together in basements.
‘The fact that these people hid from officers clearly shows they knew they were breaching the rules and have now been fined for their actions.’