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A Perth man has become the first person in Australia to be jailed for breaching emergency coronavirus laws after he repeatedly snuck out of his hotel room while he was supposed to be in quarantine.
Key points:
- Jonathan David was caught on CCTV leaving his hotel via a fire exit
- He then used public transport to travel across Perth
- He will spend a month in jail and the rest of his term in the community
Jonathan David has been in custody since he was arrested more than a week ago and charged with breaching emergency management laws that were introduced to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The 35-year-old had flown to Perth from Victoria on March 28 and was provided with a room at a city hotel, where he was required to remain in quarantine for 14 days.
But David wedged open a fire exit door and left and re-entered the building on a number of occasions without being detected by staff, with his movements captured by CCTV cameras.
He then used public transport to travel within the metropolitan area.
David was refused bail on the basis that he was likely to repeat the offence and put the safety of others in danger.
Today in the Perth Magistrates Court he was sentenced to a partially suspended jail term of six months and two weeks.
He will have to serve a month of the term immediately, while the remainder can be spent in the community.
But if he commits another offence within 12 months, he could be ordered to serve the entire term in jail.
Man dobbed in for beach trip
In a separate case, a 61-year-old man has been fined for failing to self-isolate by going to the beach after returning to Perth from overseas.
Peter Boswell arrived from Indonesia on March 19, and under emergency coronavirus laws was not meant to leave his home for 14 days.
However a member of the public called police to report that Boswell had been travelling to the beach.
Boswell, who was not required to attend the Perth Magistrates Court for his hearing, pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a direction.
He was fined $3,000.
What you need to know about coronavirus:
Topics: covid-19, infectious-diseases-other, respiratory-diseases, diseases-and-disorders, health, perth-6000, wa
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