Fremantle star Jesse Hogan cops $8000 fine for COVID breach with female friend
Fremantle star Jesse Hogan has been hit with a big fine after his lawyer explained his COVID-19 breach was the result of a dry spell.
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Fremantle forward Jesse Hogan has copped an $8000 fine for breaching WA’s quarantine laws after he allowed a woman into his home just a day after the club arrived back to Perth following their AFL hub in Queensland.
The 25-year-old was originally charged with two counts of failing to comply with a direction of the emergency management act for the breach, which took place at his Attadale residence on September 22.
But during a hearing at Fremantle Magistrate’s Police prosecutors dropped one of those charges after the footballer pleaded guilty to the first charge.
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And while Magistrate Adam Hills-Wright agreed with Hogan’s lawyer, Terry Dobson, that his offending was not at the higher end of the scale and did not warrant a prison term, he said there was still a need for personal and general deterrence and he refused to grant the Fremantle player a spent conviction.
Dobson said Hogan had been in lockdown for six months as a result of AFL COVID-19 restrictions — describing the footy hubs as “almost like a prison environment” —
and had not been with a woman in that time.
“He fell into the trap of the attraction to a young lady,” Dobson said.
But this prompted Mr Hills-Wright to hark back: “He could not have waited 13 days?”
Mr Hills-Wright said he accepted that Hogan was unlikely to commit the offence again, had felt a sense of shame for his actions and had been sanctioned by the club.
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But, he said, the Docker was in a privileged position by being granted an exemption and allowed to quarantine at home.
The WA Government allowed AFL players to quarantine in their own homes, rather than in hotels but were subject to strict rules, which included only interacting with other members of a household for 15 minutes per day, and only leaving their home to train at the club.
Mr Hills-Wright said Hogan would have been “abundantly aware” of the requirements set out under the exemption and that he abused that privilege by his actions.
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During the hearing, the court was told the day after the Dockers arrived back into WA, Hogan began texting a “female associate” who he then invited over to his house.
Police prosecutors told the hearing Hogan also asked the woman to not park in his driveway to “avoid” suspicion.
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The court heard a few hours later a fight broke out between the pair, with the woman leaving.
However just after 9pm that night she returned after Hogan asked her to come back.
His lawyer, Mr Dobson said his client asked the woman to return because she was “not in a fit state to drive” and was “trashed”.
The following day Hogan was interviewed by police where he made full admissions to breaching the quarantine laws, the court heard.
In arguing for a fine and spent conviction, Mr Dobson said his client had been subjected to regular COVID-19 testing as a result of playing in the AFL, and had tested negative every time.
He said the AFL hubs were “almost like a prison environment” and that when he flew back to WA, he was on a plane that only had Fremantle players and staff.
He also argued Hogan was returning from a non-COVID hotspot and his offending was different to that of Asher Vander Sanden, the woman who sneaked into WA from Victoria via a truck.
He also said it was important the public knew that his client “wasn’t an arrogant AFL player” who was out and about on the town.
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However, Mr Hills-Wright said the footballer “ought to have complied” with the direction and that by asking the woman to park nearby was an indication he knew she should not have been there.
With regards to the spent conviction, Mr Dobson argued his client was unlikely to offend again and that while he was a footballer now, he may not be in the future.
He also referred to Hogan’s current situation with the Dockers, saying there were “problems looming in terms of his employment” and that he could end up living in a “rugby state”.
“A spent conviction will be important to him,” Mr Dobson argued.
“He’s a good bloke.”
However, police prosecutors opposed the spent conviction arguing there was a community expectation that anyone who was granted an exemption would abide by it.
Mr Hills-Wright agreed and refused to grant the spent conviction.
He fined Hogan $8000 and ordered he pay $248.70 in court costs.
Outside court, Hogan refused to speak to media.
Hogan’s future is now at the crossroads with speculation the club could look to trade the former Demons star with a year still to run on his contract.
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Originally published as Fremantle star Jesse Hogan cops $8000 fine for COVID breach with female friend