A trial date for a husband and wife accused of a breach of Covid-19 quarantine rules was set yesterday – for almost a year after they were charged.

Sophia Cannonier, 52, and Michael Watson, 46, were scheduled to appear for trial in Magistrates’ Court on June 10.

But Ms Cannonier, speaking after the hearing, said that the amount of time it took to arrange a trial date made the charge feel like it was “not an emergency”.

She said: “It feels like what we stood for – the 24-hour police presence on July 20, 2021 and all the time, money and resources that went into it – was all for nothing.”

Ms Cannonier and Mr Watson, from Devonshire, were charged with refusal to comply with a mandatory quarantine and failure to complete a travel authorisation form.

The offences are alleged to have happened on July 11 last year.

The two have also been charged with leaving their home on July 20, before the end of their quarantine period.

Ms Cannonier has also been charged with allowing unauthorised people to visit her on the same day.

The couple have denied all the charges.

Ms Cannonier said that she and her husband wanted to stand trial because it gave them the chance to “share the truth”.

She insisted: “We knew we had natural immunity before we even got into the country.”

Ms Cannonier added: “This is more of a hassle for the Crown than anything because they’re the one who keep pushing this back.

“We need to stop the Emergency Powers immediately, we need an apology and we need to spread the truth because there is no emergency.”

The couple were scheduled to stand trial last November but the hearing conflicted with another trial and had to be rescheduled.

The couple appeared on December 13 and the case was adjourned until yesterday.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases. This is to prevent any statements being published that may jeopardise the outcome of that case.