Three women fined for breaching ban on gatherings on same day as Downing Street Christmas ‘party’

Three women have been fined for attending gatherings in breach of coronavirus rules on the same day as the alleged Christmas party at Downing Street last year.

The Metropolitan Police has said officers will not investigate the alleged December 18 event, where staff and aides are said to have drunk together, eaten cheese and swapped secret Santa presents.

But prosecutions for breaches of Covid-19 regulations at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week included three women convicted over gatherings on the same day as the alleged festive bash, according to court records first reported by the Evening Standard.

Ami Goto, 23, from Marylebone, and Ebru Sen, 26, from Sittingbourne in Kent, were each fined £1,100 plus £210 costs for a gathering of two or more people in a flat in Holborn when London was under Tier 3 restrictions.

Emilia Petruta-Cristea, 24, was also fined £1,100 and ordered to pay £210 costs over a gathering at her home in Wanstead.

The cases were dealt with behind closed doors by a magistrate sitting under the single justice procedure.

Court records also a 36-year-old man was being prosecuted this week for holding a gathering of two or more people in Ilford, east London, on the same day as the alleged event in Downing Street.

Boris Johnson has ordered an investigation into the gathering, which was reportedly held in the Number 10 press office yards from his study less than 24 hours before the Prime Minister announced people could not see loved ones from other households over Christmas.

Allegra Stratton, a former spokeswoman for the Prime Minister, resigned on Wednesday after footage of a mock press briefing leaked to ITV News showed aides laughing about a party at No 10.

During interviews on Thursday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he had been given assurances by senior officials that no Covid rules were broken last year.