A truck driver who smuggled a woman from Victoria into SA has breached community trust, a court has heard
A truck driver who smuggled a woman across the Victoria-SA border breached the community trust in essential workers, a court has heard.
Police & Courts
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A truck driver who smuggled a woman from Victoria into South Australia by hiding her in the back of his truck has breached community trust in essential workers, a court has heard.
Appearing in the Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link, Robert Edward White, 46, from Mount Gambier, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a direction in accordance of the Emergency Management Act.
On July 28, White was permitted entry into SA due to his essential services status.
Police prosecutors said White smuggled a 65-year-old woman from the South East, Patricia Anne Kohn, into the state’s South East.
Kohn had her prison sentence of 18 days suspended in Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on a nine-month good behaviour bond.
Defence for White said he and Kohn were friends, and his client was assisting her in tending to family matters.
Magistrate Briony Kennewell said she viewed White’s offending as more serious than Kohn’s, as the community places trust in essential workers.
“I view this somewhat more seriously than the co-offending because he is a trusted essential traveller and the community is relying on people such as Mr White to get goods into South Australia,” Ms Kennewell said.
“I see this situation as a breach of that trust the community has placed in truck drivers such as Mr White.”
White was convicted and received a suspended sentence of three weeks and six days imprisonment, on a six-month good behaviour bond.
Meanwhile, a Mawson Lakes man has received a suspended sentence after breaching his home quarantine restrictions four times.
Police attended Reza Razai’s address on four separate occasions to check on his quarantine compliance after he was permitted to enter South Australia from Sydney.
Prosecutors said Razai was not home on any of the occasions, and was at his sister’s Parafield Gardens address picking up food and laundry.
Magistrate Kennewell said the five days already served in prison would have been a salutary experience for the 27-year-old.
“Any sentence I give to you needs to serve as a deterrent to you and to other members of the public who are like-minded to breach their directions,” Ms Kennewell said.
Razai was sentenced to a suspended prison term of six days on a six-month good behaviour bond.
A woman who lied about returning a negative COVID-19 test has also faced Adelaide Magistrates Court.
Nicole Barnes, 43, from Sturt, flew to Adelaide from Sydney on July 28 and claimed she had been tested for coronavirus but had not. She was refused bail and remanded in custody for two weeks. It comes as police fined 11 people in the western suburbs for partaking in a prohibited gathering. Police attended the address about 6.30pm Thursday and located 11 men on the premises who are linked to a declared Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
All members were issued fines for breaching COVID-19 restrictions by exceeding more than 10 people on a private premises.