Man faces £10,000 fine after organising illegal rave attended by up to 300 people

Footage shows floods of people leaving an illegal rave at a industrial unit as the organiser now faces a £10,000 fine.
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Officers believe that up to 300 people were in attendance at the gathering in Newcastle over the weekend.

In the early hours of Sunday, November 22, Northumbria Police received a number of calls from concerned members of the public about crowds of people present at the unit on Industry Road in Heaton.

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When officers arrived, they found hordes of people leaving the area and many more still inside the unit – with the party in full swing.

Body cam footage shows floods of people leaving  the illegal rave.Body cam footage shows floods of people leaving  the illegal rave.
Body cam footage shows floods of people leaving the illegal rave.

The event was immediately shut down, with the organiser quickly identified and arrested for organising a gathering of more than 30 people.

A 20-year-old has since been issued with a court summons for failing to comply with Covid-19 legislation and faces a £10,000 fine.

Officers believe around 300 people attended the unlicensed music event and have now issued a warning to those who continue to flout lockdown rules.

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Chief Inspector Steve Wykes, from Northumbria Police, said: “This is without doubt the most brazen breach of the Covid restrictions we have seen so far in our area.

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“I believe the overwhelming majority of people will agree with me that this event was wholly irresponsible and completely unacceptable – and will therefore welcome the action we have taken.

“As a Force, we condemn the reckless behaviour of not only the organiser but all those who attended without a second thought to the wider impact this has on our communities.

“A breach of this size and scale undermines the efforts being made by all those who are following the rules, which in many cases means going without seeing their loved ones, as they continue to do their bit to prevent the spread of this virus.

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“I urge everyone to continue to show the resolve they have so far – we must all play our part in protecting one another.”

A small quantity of MDMA was also recovered from the event during the stop and search of a 22-year-old male.

Anyone with concerns can report issues on the Tell Us Something page of the force’s website.

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