Butter chicken and feeding a horse: Melbourne’s worst COVID-19 breach excuses
Feeding a horse, searching for butter chicken, taking a selfie and Playing Pokemon Go. Driving 50km for cigarettes, going for a surf and getting a haircut. Here are some of the worst excuses dished up by Victorians flouting strict lockdown laws.
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Whether it’s searching for a delicious butter chicken dinner or travelling 50km for a packet of cigarettes, lockdown flouters have offered an abundance of excuses to get away with travelling far and wide or without a mask.
It comes after police officers slapped another 196 fines on people who breached the rules on Friday, with more than 234,000 spot checks conducted since March 21.
Here are some of the worst excuses heard by our officers.
HORSING AROUND
Friday morning got off to a flyer for police officers in Melbourne’s east, who were met with a man cruising around Maroondah just after 3.30am. His excuse? Out to feed his uncle’s horses, of course.
PIZZA FLOP
A man and woman desperate for their favourite dinner took a risk to find their favourite bite, driving more than 6km from Fawkner to Dallas to grab a pizza on Friday night.
They told officers they had to drive because the shop wasn’t offering delivery.
SELFISH SELFIE
A maskless Bendigo man was too busy looking at himself on Facetime to notice police officers approaching on April 4. He told them he couldn’t wear a mask because his friend wouldn’t be able to see him properly if he wore it. He’s now hung up with a hefty fine.
Pokemon STOPPED
The Pokemon Go app has taken gamers across the world by storm, with users walking far and wide to capture their favourite virtual creature. But one Sunshine man got a bit too carried away with the fun, with the app leading him all the way to Melbourne’s CBD on August 2.
FRESH AIRFARE
A man who drove from Melbourne to Ballarat is being forced to suck up the consequences after telling police he took the trip twice to get some fresh air on July 31.
BAD HAIR DAY
A Thornbury man’s hair may be looking slick but his bank account has taken a hit after he was nabbed driving from Werribee — more than 60km away — after visiting his favourite barber on July 31.
SLACK OFF FROM HOME
Six mates at a Mornington Peninsula short stay property who told police they were there for a work meeting were all slapped with penalties after they were discovered to be boozing up and watching television on July 29.
GONE (HOME) FISHING
Four keen fishermen from Wyndham on their way to Geelong only made it as far as their suburb’s checkpoint after telling police they were going fishing on July 29.
UP IN SMOKE
A pack of ciggies became even more expensive for a Laverton man on July 23, who told police his 50km drive to Mordialloc was justified because he needed to go there to buy cigarettes.
COWA-BUNGLED
Surf wasn’t up for swimmers from South Yarra and Strathmore, who were both pinged at the Wyndham checkpoint on their way to catch a wave along the surf coast.
CHICKEN RUN
And finally, how could Melburnians forget Werribee tradie Noel Atkinson, 48, who drove 32km to get his hands on his favourite butter chicken dish from Melbourne’s CBD in July 18.
But the blow of the hefty $1652 fine was arguably softened when the restaurant behind the desperate dinner, Desi Dhaba, offered to provide Mr Atkinson with free butter chicken for a year.
Mr Atkinson will have to wait to lockdown laws are lifted to take advantage of the deal.
The fine for not wearing a face covering without lawful excuse is $200, with people who breach stay at home orders facing a $1652 fine.
Those who breach isolation orders for a second or subsequent time after testing positive for coronavirus is $4957 on the spot, which can be extended through the Magistrates’ Court for repeat offenders to a maximum of $20,000.