Covid hoaxer banned from all hospitals after taking photos to falsely claim wards were empty

NHS trusts stress pictures of empty corridors do not prove woman’s ‘disrespectful’ claims

Hoaxer claimed empty corridors meant pandemic was a ‘lie’ (PA)

A Hampshire woman who posted photos of empty wards online in an attempt to prove coronavirus is a hoax has been banned from visiting hospitals.

Hannah Dean, who claims to be a "registered journalist" online, filmed staff and took pictures of empty corridors at hospitals around the southeast of England which she then shared online to argue there was no "visual evidence" of the coronavirus crisis.

Her claims have been branded "untrue and highly disrespectful" by NHS staff and hospital trust stressed that pictures of empty corridors "do not mean our wards and intensive care units are empty".  

After being warned by police over her behaviour on Sunday, Dean went the same day to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and tried to film staff before being ejected by security.

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The following day police handed her a Community Protection Notice, an instrument for dealing with anti-social behaviour that replaced ASBOs,  banning her from attending any hospital unless she has a prior appointment, is a dependent or if there is a medical emergency.

The notice also prevents Dean from encouraging or inciting other people to break coronavirus restrictions.

She could face fines of up to £2,500 from the courts if she is convicted of breaking the notice.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "The action was taken following reports of a suspicious incident where an individual attempted to video staff and patients at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham on Sunday 31 January shortly after 4:30pm."

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.”

Dean posted pictures and video online which she claimed had been taken at Southampton General hospital, the Princess Royal University hospital near Bromley, Kent, St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex along with the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

She claimed the pictures taken at the Portsmouth Hospital served as evidence the government was "lying" about the pressures hospitals are facing due to coronavirus.

A spokesperson for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust condemned Dean's claims, saying: "This is untrue and highly disrespectful to all the patients and families affected by Covid, as well as our staff who are working extremely hard in very challenging circumstances.

"We must stress, pictures of empty corridors do not mean our wards and intensive care units are empty."