A French court ruled that an elderly woman with dementia must pay a fine over $200 because she put the wrong date on her form for leaving home during the first lockdown period in the country.
The 73-year-old woman was stopped by police while out shopping at a supermarket about half a mile from her home in Luxeuil, France, the BBC reported.
The French outlet France Bleu News revealed police failed to note the woman was speaking incoherently when they presented her with a €135 fine that has since been increased to €166, the equivalent of $201, according to the BBC. (RELATED: Rita Ora Apologizes For ‘Breaking The Rules’ With Birthday Party During COVID-19 Lockdown)
French court rules elderly woman diagnosed with dementia must pay fine for putting wrong date on form for leaving home during lockdown https://t.co/upu3dvkG4Q
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 7, 2020
The woman’s daughter brought the incident to the local mayor, saying her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago, and she was undergoing psychiatric monitoring for the disease, the UK outlet said in its report. The mayor and a prosecutor urged police to drop the fine, but they refused.
A court in the neighboring town of Vesoul then ruled the woman would be required to pay the fine, regardless of her condition, said the BBC.
While France is currently in its second lockdown, the woman’s fine was issued during France’s first lockdown in the early spring, the outlet reported.
With COVID-19 cases surging this fall largely due to loosened restrictions from the summer, France felt another lockdown was necessary, following the example of many other European countries like the UK and Italy.
The country does not plan to start vaccinating people until the start of the new year, according to the French government.