Rave To The Grave

Thousands of illegal lockdown parties may have boosted deadly second wave

- Stephen Stewart

Thousands of “superspreader” raves and house parties may have fuelled the second wave of coronavirus that has ravaged Scotland, we can reveal today.

Police dealt with more than 22,000 complaints about unlawful gatherings of covidiots between November and early January this year alone.

Incident reports have revealed that officers faced abuse and violence while breaking up illegal events – including one incident when someone coughed on police while claiming to have the virus.

Another blatant breach of the lockdown occurred on Hogmanay, in which about 20 people from across the UK – including Southport, Liverpool and Derby – gathered for a bonfire and party at a rural site in Dumfriesshire.

In another incident, someone told police they were having a party because the didn’t believe in the virus.

The figures, obtained by the Record through Freedom of Information, show that between December 24 and January 5, officers attended 8297 incidents of noise, public nuisance and disturbance.