Woman fined after breaking out of Sydney hotel quarantine

Police have fined a woman for breaking her mandatory hotel quarantine after she ran away from her Pitt Street accommodation.

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Social media influencer and feminist podcaster Sarah Josephine Liberty has been fined $1000 by police after allegedly fleeing her mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney.

Liberty, 39, had allegedly expressed concern about not being able to smoke during hotel lockdown, when she arrived in Sydney from Paris on Thursday.

About 10am Saturday, police said a security guard spotted Liberty heading for a fire exit near her room at the Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay and tried to stop her.

Sarah Liberty, who has just returned from Paris, has been fined for breaching a public health order after she allegedly attacked a security guard and escaped from her hotel room. Picture: Instagram

Liberty was trying to get cigarettes when she escaped. Picture: Instagram

“Following a short struggle, she ran through the exit and was chased on foot before disappearing from sight,” a police statement said.

The security contractor returned to the hotel and told his supervisor, who informed police stationed at the hotel.

Police allegedly found Liberty at nearby Circular Quay, about 150m from the fire escape, at about 10.45pm.

Liberty, from Potts Point, was taken back to the hotel then transferred to hospital for a medical assessment.

On her social media, Liberty says she wants to be a Greens candidate. Picture: Instagram

She may face action from the hotel for allegedly damaging a water sprinkler. Picture: Instagram

She became the first return traveller in NSW hotel quarantine to allegedly breach a COVID-19 public health order. She was fined $1000 and taken to a NSW Health-run quarantine hotel.

Police attended her room to find the fire sprinkler system had allegedly been badly damaged. They said additional action could be taken over the damage.

Liberty is a co-host of a Feminist Fridays podcast who, according to her Facebook page, wants to be a Greens election candidate and formerly worked at The Climate Council.

The influencer told her followers she experienced anxiety in quarantine, in a post with the words “you are stronger than you think”.

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“These were the words my amazing Sydney GP just said to me, after I called him urgently – after a wave of anxiety hit me when I woke up realising I am going to be locked in a hotel room for the next 2 weeks,” Ms Liberty said.

“And I’ll confess, it brought me to tears. I am strong, but after facing months of confinement in Paris, I just want to run to the ocean, eat Sydney Thai (nothing beats it), and a huge plate of oysters. Instead, I’m in hotel room with instant coffee, weatbix and not much else,” she said.

“Having said that, I understand why confinement is necessary and am so happy to be home. So wish me Bon Courage for the next 2 weeks, and watch out for me when I’m released! I’m a woman on a mission.”

In a statement, she said: "I, Sarah Liberty, am a human rights advocate and NGO executive who has lived and worked on four continents, and who is also a radio presenter and podcaster. I have a deep commitment to others' human rights, and to public safety - having worked in the human rights and humanitarian sectors for the majority of my career. I do not consider myself an 'Influencer'. I can confirm that I was never placed under arrest.

"I was escorted back to the hotel room by the police after briefly leaving the hotel for a few minutes because I was desperate to get fresh air, after I felt significantly anxious from being locked in a room with no fresh air or sunlight for three days. At no point did the police say to me that I was under arrest. Nor does the police statement state that I was placed under arrest.

"I have still not received any Public Infringement Notice or fine, as of today's date - 7th September 2020, which is over 2 months after the incident."