'F*****G DISGRACE'
Furious Tesco shopper who ripped coverings off ‘non-essential’ items in Wales is charged with criminal damage
A FURIOUS Tesco shopper who ripped coverings off "non-essential items" has been charged with criminal damage.
Gwilym Owen, 28, was filmed angrily pulling coverings off rails of clothes while in a store in Bangor, Wales on Friday night.
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"Rip the f*****s off. Kids f****** clothes, mate, it's a disgrace.
"Coming into winter now, it's a f*****g disgrace."
Rails clattered to the floor as he removed large sheets of covering from kids' coats.
The anti-lockdown protester fumed at security guards approaching: "Since when has clothes been non essential?"
Owen has since been charged with several public order offences including criminal damage and breaching coronavirus restrictions, North Wales Police said.
He is due before a magistrates court in Caernarfon on November 24.
Wales entered a "firebreak" lockdown on Friday, restricting the entire country for 17 days.
Stores are now unable to sell clothes to customers, and staff are being told to prioritise the sale of "important" essential goods during the 17-day lockdown.
After his outburst, Owen later said on Facebook: "I heard supermarkets have put covers over 'non essential' things such as clothes. We're heading into winter now and who would have thought clothes for children weren't essential?
"I'm sure there are people out there who can barely afford heating in their houses and now they want to stop people buying clothes in supermarkets.
"I don't expect everyone to do what I've done here but I do expect everyone to know that denying the public clothing is nothing but immoral and inhuman.
"So no I'm not ashamed of what I've done.
"I'm not prepared to live in a society where they can take basic human needs away like being able to buy new clothes, especially for children. So I'll do what I can to stop it.
"I've had it up to my tether with what's going on and we need more people to take a stand for what is right! This was my stand."
A spokesman for Tesco said: "Under new restrictions set out by the Welsh Government, we are currently unable to sell ''non-essential'' items in our stores.
"Our colleagues have worked hard to put these measures in place and we ask that customers please respect these restrictions."
Staff could be seen covering up aisles and stopping shoppers from accessing the banned items for the next two weeks.
A shocked person commented: "Non-essential items being covered up in supermarkets in Wales. Has it really come to this?"
There's still no clarification on what counts as essential. However, today items including hairdryers, phone chargers, duvets and sheets were covered up in supermarkets.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said the rules on what can be sold and what can't will be "made clear" to supermarkets.
But it left businesses with just hours to put together strategies for the lockdown, which will run until November 9.
Welsh people will be ordered to stay at home unless they're exercising or have vital reasons to leave for the duration of the shutdown.
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The Welsh government is set to review how the ban on non-essential items being sold in supermarkets is being enforced.
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Mr Drakeford said: "We'll be reviewing how the weekend has gone with the supermarkets and making sure that common sense is applied.
"Supermarkets can sell anything that can be sold in any other type of shop that isn't required to close. In the meantime, please only leave home if you need to."
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