Coronavirus Victoria: Melbourne’s worst COVID-iots in the western suburbs
For the most part Melburnians have done everything right during stage 4 lockdown. Others just can’t help but undo our good work. From illegal parties and conspiracy theorists to baby goats, butter chicken and doughnuts, here are the worst of the west.
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Melbourne’s been in stage 4 lockdown since August 2 and most would agree it’s been a tough but necessary slog.
Melburnians — for the most part — have done everything right.
But there’s always the rule breakers.
While the rest of us abided by the 8pm to 5am curfew, (recently extended to 9pm to 5am), stuck within a 5km radius, wearing masks, and accustomed ourselves to working from home, there were those who flouted the Chief Health Officer’s directives.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the worst covidiots in Melbourne’s west, which bore the brunt of Melbourne’s virus outbreak.
Read their excuses, learn from their mistakes. And if you see one, make sure you dob them in to police.
POKEMON STOP
One Sunshine man’s Pokemon Go obsession landed him on the wrong side of the law on August 2 when he was busted trying to catch his favourite cartoon characters in Melbourne’s CBD. While the craze was addictive, it wasn’t enough to get him off the hook with police. Instead of trying to catch them all, he’ll stick to those he can find within 5km from home from now on.
GOAT HOME
Cops thought something was amiss when a man suddenly put his car into reverse in an attempt to avoid their roadblock on the Calder Freeway on August 18. They wasted no time pulling the man over to ask his reason for travel. He told them he was keen to visit his friend’s farm to help with some baby goats. The excuse didn’t fly with police and he was told to hightail it back home. A man caught the same day driving erratically in Brimbank told police he was on the hunt for a new fish tank for his frog. He’d travelled well beyond 5km from home and through multiple suburbs.
CONSPIRACY
A Truganina man was found in Box Hill on August 15 and he minced none of his words when he gave police an earful about his conspiracy theories regarding the coronavirus. Needless to say, he and police weren’t on the same page and he copped a fine for his efforts. A 21-year-old man was charged on August 30 with incitement for organising a protest in Roxburgh Park. Five people from his group were issued with $1652 fines.
NETFLIX N’ CHILL
Most people have been giving their streaming subscriptions a workout during lockdown, but one Wyndham man didn’t quite get the memo. He had his Netflix and chill session underway on August 15, the only problem was he was driving while watching his favourite show on his phone. When police pulled him over he told them he was on the way to the shop to buy snacks to go with his film.
JUST CHILLING
A man from Altona Meadows was pulled over in Brimbank on August 22. He told police he was visiting a friend because he “got bored at home”. Five men were busted on the same day in Airport West after police found them “just out chilling” while sitting in their stationary car in breach of the Chief Health Officer’s stay home directives. Less than a week earlier police nabbed a man sitting at Upfield Railway Station after 8pm with not much to do and nowhere to go. When questioned why he was not wearing a mask and breaching curfew, the man said he didn’t care.
COVID PARTIES
Fourteen people were fined after they were busted at an illegal birthday party in Wyndham on September 20, but they weren’t the only ones nabbed at illicit gatherings.
Six men were discovered drinking at a Geelong man’s house on September 12.
The group jumped the fence when police showed up, leaving their mate who owned the house behind to cop a fine.
Two men and one woman had nowhere to run when they were found floating in an inflatable boat in the Caroline Springs Lake on September 7.
They’d been having a great time drinking and listening to music before police crashed the party.
Neighbours tipped police off to a noise complaint at a Wyndham address on August 10, prompting cops to raid the property.
Five people were discovered smoking, drinking and listening to loud music in the garage.
It turned out to be an expensive night in for all of five partygoers, who each copped a $1652 fine.
BAD HAIR DAY
A Thornbury man’s hair may be looking slick but his bank account took a hit after he was fined driving home from Werribee — more than 60km away — after visiting his favourite barber on July 31.
COWA-BUNGLED
Two swimmers from South Yarra and Strathmore on the hunt for some decent waves were pinged at the Wyndham checkpoint on their way to the surf coast.
CHICKEN RUN
A Werribee tradie 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 the man with free butter chicken for a year. A man from Wyndham was also picked up by police on August 17 after he broke curfew to buy doughnuts
GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT
A man travelling from Seaford back home to Maribyrnong on September 10 was intercepted by police in Brighton during curfew hours. When questioned by police about his reason for travel, he told them that he was on his way home after visiting his partner. He then changed his story and told police he was in Seaford for work, but he was unable to back this up with a work permit or the name of his boss or the company he worked for. Needless to say, the inconsistencies left a lot to be desired by police.
DAY TRIP
A man and a woman were caught in Wyndham after having travelled more than 5km from home to visit a playground with their children on August 10. When questioned by police, the young family said they were “sick of walking around their local area”. A man was also stopped at the Little River checkpoint on August 17. He chose honesty as the best policy, and readily admitted to police he was driving to Rye to stay overnight at his holiday home.
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