Melbourne lockdown fines: Man caught breaching restrictions 10 times
A Melbourne man has been fined more than $16,000 after being caught breaching lockdown restrictions for the 10th time overnight.
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A Melbourne man has clocked up his 10th fine for breaching coronavirus restrictions, taking his total penalties to more than $16,000.
On the latest occasion the Whittlesea man was caught in Richmond and claimed he was on his way to visit work colleagues.
But he was stung $1652 by police after he failed to produce the relevant documentation to justify his excuse.
A police spokesman said the man had been fined nine times previously for breaching the chief health officer’s directions.
He was among more than 253 other Victorians caught breaching the restrictions in the past 24 hours, with 75 of those busted outside the home during curfew hours and 41 others found not wearing a face covering.
Among the other breaches were two men buying cigarettes in South Melbourne after the 8pm curfew.
Both were also not wearing face coverings, with one of the men claiming he did not need to as he had a “birth condition” that made him resistant to coronavirus.
A Brimbank man was also fined for breaching the curfew and told police he was researching where to buy cheaper groceries in the area.
And eight people who did not live together were hit with $13,216 in fines when police found them huddled in a one-bedroom apartment on Flinders St.
It comes after two teenage boys and a 20-year-old man were busted in an allegedly stolen car by officers manning the Little River coronavirus checkpoint on the Princes Freeway near Geelong.
Police said the trio stopped short of the checkpoint and tried to run from police but were swiftly arrested about 10.30am on Thursday.
A 16-year-old boy was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and committing an indictable offence while on bail and remanded to face a children’s court at a later date.
Another 16-year-old boy was bailed after being charged with theft of a motor vehicle, and a Berwick man, 20, was also bailed on charges of theft of a motor vehicle and stating a false name to police.
All three were also issued with fines for breaching the coronavirus restrictions.
Police have handed out 4866 infringements – almost $7 million in fines – since stage 3 restrictions were reintroduced in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire on July 8, including 720 for not wearing a face covering and 638 for breaching the curfew.
Originally published as Melbourne lockdown fines: Man caught breaching restrictions 10 times