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New court date set for reporter charged with drug driving

Amy FentonA reporter charged with drug driving has had a new court date set in her case.

Amy Fenton, chief reporter of Barrow-based daily The Mail, was due to appear at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on Monday after being charged with possession of cocaine and drug driving.

The Mail has reported the 35-year-old, of Dalton-in-Furness, will now instead appear at Workington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 28 July.

Amy, who has been charged under her married name of Amy Robertson, was arrested on 6 March after being stopped on the M6 northbound.

HTFP reported in May that Amy, pictured, was forced to flee her home on police advice last month after “increasing levels of abuse, intimidation and threats” were issued against her and other colleagues at The Mail, prompting an investigation by detectives.

Discussing that investigation, a Cumbria Police spokesman said: “A 50-year-old man from Barrow was arrested last week (15 July) on suspicion of malicious communications offences and a racially aggravated public order offence.

“He has been bailed with conditions including not to contact any of the victims or witnesses in relation to the ongoing investigation.”

In a separate incident in February, a man previously convicted of threatening to blow up a hospital was jailed for 20 weeks after issuing a rape threat against Amy, who had previously covered his case.

She had also recently been invited by culture minister John Whittingdale to address a new National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which has been set up to look at protection of journalists in the UK.