A WEST Cumbrian student prosecuted for illegally going to a house party during the Covid lockdown faced a fine and court costs of more than £2,000 – because of a mix-up over her address.

Madeleine Sarah Wright, 20, told magistrates that she was always prepared to pay the required £100 fixed penalty fine for her offence.

But an 'administrative error' linked to her moving house after the prosecution was started led to the fine and costs associated with the case spiralling to almost £2,400, Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard.

But Wright, from Brigham Road, Cockermouth, successfully applied to have her case reopened before the court, arguing that it was unjust for her to be saddled with so much expense when she had always been perfectly willing to pay the initial £100 fine.

The court heard that the sanction was proposed after police raided a house party in Salford on February 27.

A student who lived in Liverpool at the time, Wright and 14 other guests were spoken to by the police after a neighbour made a 999 call to report what was going on.

There were 'copious amounts of alcohol' at the premises and there was clearly a party underway, said the police. 

All of the people at the party were spoken to, and told they faced a fixed penalty notice before they were sent home.

In court, Wright thanked the magistrates for reopening the case, saying: “I am guilty of breaching the Covid rules at the gathering on February 27 in Salford but I understood I would get a fixed penalty of £100.

“As a result of an error in checking my address and moving house, I received no correspondence.”

This led to the fine and costs escalating until on April 7 she received a call, demanding payment of £2,371.

Wright told magistrates: “You can imagine the great shock to me; it caused a lot of upset and distress.”

With the support of her parents, who were in court for the hearing, she paid that bill immediately.

Though that figure was later reduced to £1,380, said the defendant, she wanted the court to deal with her on the basis that she was always willing to pay the initial £100 fine.

She added: “If I’d received the first letter, I would have paid straight away; I am taking responsibility.”

After considering the case, magistrates agreed to set aside the original sentence and said they accepted Wright’s claim that she was always willing to pay the fixed penalty notice.

They noted also how distressing the experience was and that Wright had shown remorse. Resentencing, they imposed a new £100 fine, with a £34 victim surcharge and costs of £90, making a total of £224.

“We believe you will have learned from this and won’t find yourself back here again,” said the presiding magistrate.