Northamptonshire Police press on with £10k Traveller funeral fine after legal wrangle stalls plan to punish organisers

Police are pressing ahead with plans to a £10,000 "super fine" over a funeral in Northamptonshire.

Forces nationwide were told to stop issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to organisers of large gatherings on Friday over a legal wrangle.

But the National Police Chiefs' Council yesterday gave the go-ahead to resume following talks with the Government over a loophole that could have seen fines reduced by not paying up and allowing cases to go to court.

Superintendent Elliot Foskett, from Northamptonshire Police, said: “Officers are able to continue issuing £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notices following discussions between the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Government in recent days.

“People found to be in breach of the regulations relating to gatherings of over 30 people will be made fully aware of their options when faced with a £10,000 FPN, to ensure fairness.

“The option of a court summons will remain available to officers, as it always has been, should the unique circumstances of a case mean that this is the most appropriate course of action. However, the vast majority of cases can be dealt with by way of FPN.”

More than 150 Travellers were at Kettering's St Edward's Roman Catholic Church for the funeral of 'Gipsy Joe' Rooney earlier this month — five times the number allowed under coronavirus restrictions.

Horses and carriages with Irish flags led mourners to along Bowling Green Road and down Northampton Road on their journey to the crematorium, followed by a cortege of seven Rolls-Royce cars.

Last week's announcement of an impending fine followed furore that the funeral had been allowed to go ahead in apparent breach of the Covid-19 lockdown laws.

But Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: "Throughout this global pandemic, I have heard so many heart-wrenching stories from people who have had to bury their loved-ones in really difficult and harrowing circumstances.

"It was then exceptionally frustrating when we see a group of people with no regard for other people’s safety, completely flouting the restrictions and having the type of funeral many people would have loved to have had but have been unable to hold, simply because they think they are above the law.

"While I of course sympathise with anyone who has lost a loved one, it cannot be one rule for some people and another rule for others, and no one is above the law."