Many made the point that an hour-long round trip in the car with a small child in the back was an unconventional way to test eyesight, joking that one "should have gone to Barnard Castle" instead of Specsavers. Welch added: “There is supposed to be equality before the law in this country. Cummings’ family trip to Barnard Castle on his wife’s birthday was first exposed by Robin Lees, a retired chemistry teacher from the town, after an investigation by the Guardian and Daily Mirror in May. report. By Georgia Banks EchoGeorgiaB Staff reporter. Evans said: “He should still be properly investigated. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. However, the growth of online crowdfunding has increased their viability for ordinary citizens. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. http://lovebelfast.co.uk. Durham police have been approached for comment. on: function(evt, cb) { listeners: [], } But Downing Street has refused repeated requests to release this evidence for public scrutiny. That’s not the way things works with other people.”. THE Great British public has been entered in to one of the major advertising and marketing industry awards for its humorous and ingenious response to the Dominic Cummings driving affair. This story highlights an unusual and contentious aspect of the UK legal system: the right to bring a private prosecution. Great British Bake Off breaks into top 10 most-streamed shows in the USA, Ticketmaster fined £1.25m for data breach after it waited nine weeks to monitor fraudulent activity, 'Where is my baby? 'Should’ve gone to Barnard Castle' entered into advertising awards after Cummings' trip. Whilst I am sure I will be reassured that there are pubs close to Barnard Castle, if you enter Lancaster Castle from the main road you are invited into The Merchants which was once a wine merchant’s cellar for wine imported to Lancaster. Cummings stated during a press conference that, while in Durham during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, he drove to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight, which “seemed to have been affected” by the virus. Parents on Twitter have since questioned this ability, as children are renowned for having weak bladders. Peterlee Magistrates’ Court will decide whether to proceed with Parry and Welch’s private prosecution and issue a summons to be served on Cummings. In the immediate aftermath, Specsavers mentions in mainstream media rocketed, with more than 200 pieces of coverage, including items in the MailOnline, the Guardian, Telegraph, ITV1, C4 and Sky News, with various people debating the benefits – or otherwise – of testing eyes via a road trip. There’s a branch in the town, but there’s no evidence he dropped in. callback: cb Those who blew the whistle on Dominic Cummings’ lockdown journeys have said his resignation has come too late and vowed to continue campaigning to hold him to account. Although legal aid is not available, reasonable costs can be recovered from the state. Quiz: Can you guess which Netflix show these savage Google reviews are about? Last year, Marcus Ball crowdfunded nearly £350,000 to bring a private prosecution against Boris Johnson for allegedly lying during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Welch added: “There is supposed to be equality before the law in this country. Ok, so who is singing in the new John Lewis Christmas advert? You only have to google Barnard Castle to see that whilst it is picturesque, it’s a bit ruined. } The Barnard Castle TripAdvisor page was also full of spoof reviews from people enjoying the joke. This whole thing suggests preferential treatment.”. report. The interests of justice and public safety require this matter to be heard by a court”. A private prosecution acts as a means for a private individual or organisation to enforce the law, uphold justice and establish accountability by initiating criminal proceedings where the state has decided not to. ( Log Out /  Should have gone to Specsavers? After a three-day investigation, Durham police concluded that Cummings may have breached health protection rules by travelling to Barnard Castle but … Crowdfunding efforts have been launched by members of the public to raise the money necessary for a private prosecution of Cummings’ alleged breach of lockdown rules. Apparently, cheating isn’t a requirement to get on the show? The police didn’t tell Cliff Richard what was going on before they raided his house, out of the blue. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "I was trying to balance all of these very complicated things.". Specsavers Global Chief Marketing Officer Katherine Whitton says: ‘We’re known for our quick and humorous responses to all sorts of situations, but the public’s speed and ingenuity in responding to the Cummings affair left us standing. High quality printing with sublimation inks, design wont chip or fade, Dishwasher and Microwave friendly. One post read: 'Should have gone to Barnard Castle', while several others shared pictures of cars that have driven into the opticians various shopfronts. Former chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who has publicly supported a crowdfunding initiative to privately prosecute Cummings, said: “There has to be consequences for [alleged] law-breaking, otherwise the public lose confidence in those meant to enforce the law and lose trust in the law itself”. It took only minutes after the press conference on Monday 25 May, when Cummings revealed he had driven to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight, for social media to be flooded with memes, tweets and humorous comments, including variations on the well-known ‘should’ve gone to Specsavers’ tagline. However, the growth of online crowdfunding has increased their viability for ordinary citizens. In most countries, criminal prosecutions are a monopoly of the state. It said: “At no point in the decision-making process did the investigating officer have any contact with the government or office of the prime minister or any agent thereof. All it took was one drop of my little virtual google maps man to get me to the centre of Barnard Castle to see what all the fuss is about. 'Barnard Castle is the new Pizza Express, Woking': Twitter pokes fun at Dominic Cummings' explanation of his lockdown trip to Durham. Lancaster Castle reaps the benefits of having a really good cafe on Castle grounds. })(); After his alleged breach of lockdown rules was excused by the police and the government, Dominic Cummings is now facing the prospect of a private prosecution for the alleged road traffic offence of driving to Barnard Castle with defective eyesight. Had it been open or rebelling against lockdown rules, Cummings could have treated his family to a picnic of jam sandwiches and white wine as they sat looking across Lancaster city centre. In most countries, criminal prosecutions are a monopoly of the state. Many have found the spad's excuses for breaking lockdown laughable. Whistleblowers say they will keep campaigning to hold Cummings to account over lockdown trip, Last modified on Fri 13 Nov 2020 09.18 EST. 94% Upvoted. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. After a three-day investigation, Durham police concluded that Cummings may have breached health protection rules by travelling to Barnard Castle but they decided not to take any further action and made no ruling on his decision to leave his London home for Durham while suffering from suspected Covid-19. } window.mc4wp.listeners.push( 'Should’ve gone to Barnard Castle' entered into advertising awards after Cummings' trip. hide. And, given that Lancaster Castle is in fact around 1,040 years older than Barnard Castle, it seems that Cummings not only bent his own guidelines but he’s robbed himself of true tender love and care, as is seen in the conservation work at Lancs Castle. Law firm estimates range from £5,000 to £10,000, whereas crowdfunding targets can reach six figures. for the alleged road traffic offence of driving to Barnard Castle with defective eyesight. Dominic Cummings, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister, has been engulfed by public scrutiny over the weekend after driving 260 miles from London to Durham during the country’s lockdown. That Cummings has a car that doesn’t need petrol? Dave Edwards said: “We have nothing against him and if he wants to resign that is his choice. Had he gone to Lancaster Castle, this journey would have been cut down to almost four and a half hours, perhaps making his reasoning more believable. Had Cummings made the decision to visit Lancs Castle instead of Durham’s Barnard Castle, he could have visited all three car parks without encountering any witnesses and attempted to read the ‘pay and stay’ boards from inside his car. Last year, Marcus Ball crowdfunded nearly £350,000 to bring a private prosecution against Boris Johnson for allegedly lying during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. Former chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who has publicly supported a crowdfunding initiative to privately prosecute Cummings, said: “There has to be consequences for [alleged] law-breaking, otherwise the public lose confidence in those meant to enforce the law and lose trust in the law itself”. Many made the point that an hour-long round trip in the car with a small child in the back was an unconventional way to test eyesight, joking that one "should have gone to Barnard Castle… thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1... 22 comments. "I don't regret what I did," he insisted, saying his journey from London to seek childcare constituted "exceptional circumstances". More generously, Lancaster Castle has three (yes you heard) THREE public car parks within 300m of the castle entrance. Dominic Cummings at a press conference at 10 Downing Street in May, after allegations he and his family travelled from London to Durham while the nation was under lockdown. 'Should’ve gone to Barnard Castle' entered into advertising awards after Cummings' trip.

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