Nottingham party student 'among first' to pay £10k Covid fine

Police have said a student who held a house party has become one of the first people in the country to pay a £10,000 fine under coronavirus legislation.

The 20-year-old student was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice after the party was spotted in the Lenton area of Nottingham on 20 October.

Mixing of households indoors was banned at the time in Nottingham.

Nottinghamshire Police said the fine should "send out a warning" to others who break coronavirus law.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper said: "Most people in Nottinghamshire fully support and understand the reasons why the law is in place - to stop the NHS being overwhelmed by a wave of patients affected by the virus which thrives on social contact.

"Sadly, there is a minority for whom enforcement is left as the only option.

"This should send out a warning to people that it is really not worth breaking the law when it comes to Covid legislation."

Police previously said they had issued four students with £10,000 fixed penalty notices for holding a party in Kimbolton Avenue in Lenton on 20 October.

However, the force would not confirm whether this was the same party, and would not say whether the other students had paid their fines or are challenging them.

The force said officers "issued the fine after warning it was illegal under the restrictions at the time".

The student who has paid £10,000 is in their third year at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), police said.

A university spokesperson said: "In addition to the police fine, the student has received further sanctions from NTU in accordance with our student code of behaviour.

"We are proud that the majority of our students are complying and adhering to national restrictions in place.

"We will not tolerate any form of anti-social behaviour, including that related to breaches of Covid-19 restrictions, and will take swift action where this is drawn to our attention."

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