The Metropolitan Police has fined hundreds of lockdown breakers (KIrsty O’Connor/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)A Mayfair man who threw loud parties at his apartment must pay more than £30,000 in one of London’s biggest Covid lockdown fines.
Marcus Oligarce, 30, hosted late-night gatherings at his Green Street home in February last year during the third national lockdown.
Westminster magistrates’ court heard Oligarce, also known as Karim Fall, fended off a police attempt to shut down the property in late 2020 after a series of incidents of anti-social behaviour”. But on two nights in February 2021, loud music was heard booming from his apartment with dozens of people spilling on to the street.
Oligarce did not turn up to a court hearing last month when he was fined a total of £30,000 for hosting the two parties as well as attending a third at a flat in Belgravia.
Covid offences are back in the spotlight after the Met announced the first batch of fines following the partygate scandal over alleged lockdown-busting events in Downing Street and Whitehall. The prosecution of Oligarce was one of more than 600 cases of alleged rule-breaking that were dealt with in London’s courts last month.
One officer who went to Green Street at 4am on February 21 said Oligarce came outside and “appeared to be drunk and angry police had attended his flat”.
Pc Marcus Drinkwater said: “He was shouting at officers, stating he was not having a party, getting annoyed.”
The officer said about 50 people were seen leaving the apartment. Seven days later, on February 28, police returned to shut down another party. “I would describe the address as being completely filled with people in every room,” said another officer. “There was loud music playing which I could hear from the ground floor prior to entering the flat.”
Oligarce was caught by police for a third time on March 8, when a gathering in Belgravia was broken up at 1.30am. He was convicted of two counts of holding a gathering in a Tier 4 area and one charge of participating in a gathering in a Tier 4 area.
He was fined £10,000 and £15,000 for hosting the two parties at his home, and £5,000 for attending the third gathering. All fines must be paid by April 30.
