Police ‘couldn’t see the floor’ at traveller’s lockdown wake

33-year-old fined after ‘selfish’ behaviour

TRAVELLER Martin Stokes has been hit with a £369 court bill after police caught him at a party during lockdown.

Police discovered more than 20 people inside a property on Festival Park last November, following a report by a member of the public.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard when officers asked 33-year-old Stokes why he was there, he told them the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions did not apply to him.

Prosecutor Sue Hayers said: “Police officers received information about what appeared to be a party at a residential address in Stoke-on-trent.

“Officers attended and could hear loud music and voices. The door was answered by a teenage boy who allowed them to enter the small, semi-detached property.

“In the living room they saw a large number of males and females.

“One officer said there were so many people he could not see the living room floor. People were sitting on beer crates and the room smelled of alcohol.

“Officers said there were about 20 adults and numerous children. Mr Stokes was spoken to. He said he abided by common law and the coronavirus restrictions didn’t apply to him.”

Ms Hayers said Stokes was subsequently issued with a fixed penalty notice but did not pay it. He failed to respond to a non-payment of fine letter and the matter was then taken to court.

Ms Hayers added: “There cannot be anyone who did not know in November that you couldn’t go to a party at someone else’s house. It’s selfish, it’s blatant and it’s dangerous in terms of the impact on public health.”

Single father Stokes, who gave the court a care of address of Ennerdale Close, Bletchley, pleaded guilty to participating in an indoor gathering in breach of coronavirus restrictions.

Five other members of his family were also summoned to court in relation to the incident, but Stokes was the only one to attend.

Kate Preston, mitigating, told magistrates that the gathering had been a family get-together to ‘celebrate the life’ of Stokes’s aunt, who had passed away.

Ms Preston said: “This defendant and his family are from the travelling community. They originate from Ireland.

“He tells me his auntie had died in Northern Ireland. No one could travel there for the funeral, so the family had a gathering on that date to pay their respects and celebrate her life. It was at the address of another auntie who lives in Stoke-on-trent.

“They were under the understanding that 15 people were allowed to attend a funeral and although they could not attend the funeral, the wake would be akin to that. It is not the case that Mr Stokes has ignored the fixed penalty notice – he did not receive it.”

Ms Preston said there were no known cases of Covid-19 that resulted from the gathering.

Magistrates gave Stokes a £200 fine and ordered him to pay an additional £169 in court costs and charges.

Chris Rushton, chairman of the bench, said: “This was a deliberate and blatant breach of the restrictions.

“There has never been any provision for a wake after a funeral.

“The fact nobody contracted Covid after this event is not the point. People could have done and it could have extended the pandemic in this area.”