Bodybuilding champion who ran gym faces jail sentence under lockdown rules

A bodybuilding champion has been told he could face jail time if he keeps his gym open during the coronavirus lockdown.

Eddy Ellwood, 56, is keeping his Xtreme Fitness club in Hartlepool open despite regulations forcing gyms to close.

He said his work was crucial to people’s mental health in “dark times.”

But on Thursday he was taken to court by Hartlepool Borough Council, where District Judge Timothy Capstick ordered the establishment to close for three months and said Ellwood could face a fine or prison if he refused.

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A hearing at Teesside District Court was told that Ellwood consented to the order.

Speaking outside, he told reporters: “The whole reason for today was to express our opposition to the draconian rules imposed on me and others who defend the vulnerable, the mentally ill, those who see the gym as an escape and relief from their daily struggles, anxieties and negative impulses.

“The gym is their social worker, the gym is their mental health nurse, and the gym is their safety blanket in times of darkness, and we were just there to try to help those who were in the dark.”

He called his decision to remain open a “peaceful protest.”

Ellwood has been told he can still come into the gym for maintenance work. Local authority officials have also been given permission to enter if needed.

The order will be valid until May 10.

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