Man handed £10,000 fine for organising illegal gathering with hundreds of people outside Shirebrook Leisure Centre
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Officers handed the 23-year-old, who is from the town, the Fixed Penalty Notice after he wrote messages on social media encouraging people to attend the event outside Shirebrook Leisure Centre after a friend had died in a collision on the M1.
A total of more than 400 people attended the illegal gathering on land near the centre on Monday, April 5 at around 8pm.
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Hide AdThe group set off a large number of fireworks and Derbyshire Constabulary said they received dozens of calls from local people.
Officers arrived at Shirebrook Leisure Centre shortly afterwards and dispersed the group.
Following an investigation into the illegal gathering after numerous videos of the large group meet up were found on social media, the man was identified as the organiser and awarded a £10,000 fine for breaking current coronavirus rules.
Chief Superintendent Hayley Barnett from Derbyshire police said: “Over the last year, thousands of people have lost loved ones and have been unable to grieve in the way they would normally be able to.
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Hide Ad“We understand how hard this and my heart goes out to all those who find themselves in a situation that means they are unable to say goodbye.
“However, coronavirus still remains a very real risk to public health with restrictions on certain gatherings still in place and we will continue to use enforcement measures where necessary to protect the public.”