Still no Covid fines issued three months after huge Kettering Traveller funeral

Police are still working to identify those involved
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Nobody has yet been fined in connection with a huge lockdown-breaking Traveller funeral in Kettering, three months on from the event.

About 150 mourners gathered outside St Edward's Roman Catholic Church on November 9 for the funeral of Corby's Joe Rooney, known as 'Gypsy Joe'.

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Horses and carriages with Irish flags led mourners through the town on their way to the crematorium for to pay their respects to the 47-year-old, who died in a crash between Stanion and Geddington the previous month.

The funeral procession in Bowling Green Road.The funeral procession in Bowling Green Road.
The funeral procession in Bowling Green Road.

The huge funeral took place when England was in its second lockdown, breaching restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the virus.

Northamptonshire Police's chief constable Nick Adderley later revealed they would be issuing their first £10,000 fine to the organisers for their "total disrespect" of the restrictions.

But, more than three months on, police are yet to issue any fines over the gathering.

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Today (Tuesday) a Northamptonshire Police spokesman told this newspaper: “Our enquiries into this event are still ongoing and we are still working to identify a number of people involved.”

In the days after the funeral Mr Adderley admitted they were surprised by the number of people who attended the crematorium, with hundreds then trying to join a wake in a field to celebrate Joe Rooney's life.

Officers installed road blocks closing off the field, turned a number of people away from the wake and prevented people from going into the marquee.

About 60 police officers in total were also prepared in full riot gear to go onto the field and break the party up.