Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief aide admitted making trips to Durham while infected with coronavirus on March 27. But Mr Cummings has denied making a second trip to Durham on April 19, after an anonymous witness claimed to have spotted the aide in Houghall Woods. The chief aide has claimed he has evidence proving that he was not in the area in April.
Now Dave and Clare Edwards have filed an official complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over Durham Police’s handling of the investigation into Mr Cummings alleged second visit.
Mr and Mrs Edwards are the first to come public over their sighting of Mr Cummings in April, with two other anonymous witnesses supporting their account.
They told the Guardian and Daily Mirror that they “100 percent certain” they saw Mr Cummings in Houghall Woods on April 19.
The couple claimed they gave statements to Durham Police on May 25 about Mr Cummings, with Mr Edwards describing the man spotted as “identical” to footage of the chief adviser.
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Mr Edwards said Durham Police have not taken the couple’s evidence seriously.
He said: “I’m not politically motivated, I have nothing against Cummings.
“But we think what we saw was important given the circumstances of the lockdown, and we feel that our complaint has been airbrushed.”
One of the anonymous witnesses told the Mirror they also sw Mr Cummings in Houghall Woods, and “would recognise him again”.
Mr Cummings addressed the Durham lockdown breaches in a press conference in May.
He told reporters that he and his wife had fallen ill, which meant they had to travel to Durham for child support from his parents.
Mr Cummings claimed he returned to London on April 13 and denied returning on April 19, claiming he had evidence to prove he was not there.
He said: “Photos and data on my phone prove this to be false. And local CCTV, if it exists, would also prove that I’m telling the truth that I was in London on that day.
“I was not in Durham.”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said after the press conference: “The Prime Minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and he considers the matter closed.”
IOPC confirmed they have received Mr and Mrs Edward’s complaint.
In a statement, they said: “In accordance with the police complaints procedure, we have forwarded a complaint to Durham Constabulary.
“It will now be a matter for the force to determine the next steps including whether this complaint merits referral to the IOPC.”
