Thread by @kirkkorner

Police appear to be no closer to investigating goings-on last Christmas in Downing St or Tory HQ

Let me tell you about a young Kingston man & his year fighting a massive fine for a party on Dec 13 last year.

This should make MPs stop and think about the system they've created.

Student Othniel Agyei, 21, is accused of throwing a birthday party for a friend at his home, with around 40 people present.

People were enjoying a drink, shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen, 'cheek by jowl' perhaps...
Sounds like a breach of Tier 2 rules, on police evidence.

There is a second police statement, however, which may be important.
One of the guests at the party identified a man called 'Ben' as the organiser, casting at least a little doubt over who organised the event and who might liable for a fine.

In Jan, Mr Agyei was hit with a £10,000 fine, a huge amount for a student to pay I'd imagine

He set about challenging the penalty by contacting ACRO, the police body administering Covid-19 fines

There's no formal appeals process, you have to write in to make your case

And on February 8, a reprieve. A letter saying 'case closed', the fine has been rescinded.

Signed by the chief executive of ACRO, so a letter you'd think you could rely on:

Fast-forward to April and another letter arrives, telling Mr Agyei he is being prosecuted under the Single Justice Procedure.

Confused, he makes some calls and says he was reassured there is nothing to worry about. The court's letter can be safely ignored.

Imagine the shock when, in mid-May, a letter drops through his door saying he was convicted by a court of a Covid-19 breach and now owes more than £12,000.

At a behind-closed-doors hearing, no public scrutiny

Bailiffs, more fines, arrest, even prison if he does not pay up.

Armed with his 'case closed' letter and correspondence with the court and police, Mr Agyei sets about challenging the whopper of a fine.
You can sense the panic in the emails he sends, knowing that a £12,000 fine is hanging over his head and due within days.

An application to reopen the case was listed for mid-June & he didn't attend the hearing - that's his fault.

However
a) the prosecutor had no idea about the case so would have sought an adjournment
b) the judge didn't look at the case to see if there was a problem she could fix

The case is listed for a fresh challenge in late November - after a six month delay - but is adjourned "for prosecution to respond...if they have any objection".

Mr Agyei was present, but the prosecutor in court doesn't know about the case.

Yesterday, Mr Agyei was in court again. Once again, the CPS prosecutor didn't know the background to the case.
The police officer who brought the prosecution in the first place will now be written to and told to come to court next time.
Adjourned to January 5, 2022

Where does this leave Mr Agyei?

This was the judge's assessment:
"I make it clear, the fine still stands and you should pay it.
"The conviction stands. If the application is successful, the fine will be returned."

So in summary, police told a suspect 'case closed' then prosecuted him anyway.
Whether he committed the offence or not, he's made significant efforts to challenge it.
A £12,000 fine hangs over Christmas, largely due to court delays and police lack of engagement.

This is the consequence of MPs deciding to criminalise Covid-19 breaches, with no appeals process for the massive fines.

While some apparent rule-breakers do not, currently, even face police investigation, others are dragged through the justice system.

One rule for them...