Sheffield court halts Ecclesall Road lockdown party fine as Sunny-Jo Veasey fights feared £10,000 penalty

Sunny-Jo Veasey, from Chapeltown, was furious when she was told she had been fined over an event reported to police in February 2021 – while still no one has been punished for Downing Street socials.

She has since been told that the figure had been lowered from £10,000 to around £2,000 – but says she will fight to have it quashed all together.

The initial fine was imposed by Sheffield magistrates in 2021. Sunny-Jo only found out about the fine after her employer started deducting £320 a month from her wages, because all the letters from the court had been sent to her previous address on Ecclesall Road, where the fine related to.

Today she attended Sheffield Magistrates’ Court for a ‘statutory declaration’ to the court, which will mean the conviction is void and the case is reconsidered.

She said: “It appears the fine had gone down to £2,000, but after the statutory declaration, it has been wiped for now.

“I will now be going to a hearing in May to make a plea. It is possible it could be quashed at that point, but if not it would go to trial.

"I plan to speak to the court and bring witnesses with me, and that is when they will decide if it goes to trial.

“I am going to try to get it overturned.

"I was very anxious and nervous this morning, but I feel more relaxed now they’re stopping taking the money for now.”

She is taking legal advice.

Sunny-Jo, aged 28, discovered her fine last month when payments were taken direct from her wages for the first time, after her Ecclesall Road home was raided by police back in February 2021.

She said that the discovery of her fine had left her upset that she has been punished while the Prime Minister is still under investigation for parties which were reported to have taken place at 10 Downing Street back in 2020.

She said she had struggled with her mental health during lockdown.

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