Organiser of AJ Tracey event in Manchester fined £10,000

The organiser of an AJ Tracey event in Manchester have been fined £10,000.

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to a “large gathering” at a music event on Sunday.

Tracey previously said he “didn’t expect that many people to turn up” to Platt Fields Park.

The police said in a statement it would “like to remind the public of the importance of adhering to the lockdown regulations” and that the organiser has been issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

Tracey also appeared in Birmingham and was due to go to Bristol after the Manchester leg of his trip – however, it was called off.

He apologised for the event in a video posted on social media on Sunday which was captioned: “Sorry guys”.

“Big love Manny and Brum, thank you for coming out,” he said.

The rapper added: “I didn’t expect that many people to turn up in Manny and genuinely it’s just not OK for me to go ahead.

“I’m going to head home to London.

“I appreciate you lot showing support and when it’s safe to do so, I’m definitely going to come back and do some shows.”

Tracey, who is currently promoting his new album Flu Game, said he made the trip to sign CDs and he “never went out to do a gig”.

Superintendent Caroline Hemingway of Greater Manchester Police said: “I would like to remind the public that the recent easing of restrictions does not mean the pandemic is over.

“We are still very much in the midst of a public health crisis and it remains as important as ever to abide by the Covid-19 legislation.

“With the road map in place, there is finally hope that we will soon be returning to a sense of normality, which is why it is so important not to flout the lifting of restrictions and risk spreading the virus, as this could lead to delays in further restrictions being eased.”