Coronavirus Victoria: Four men try to flee state on freight train

Four men who allegedly tried to flee Victoria on a Perth-bound freight train were caught mid-journey overnight have avoided conviction in court.

Four men who tried to sneak out of locked-down Victoria by stowing away on a Perth-bound freight train overnight have claimed they did not know about South Australia’s border restrictions in court.

The train departed Melbourne about 10.30pm on Tuesday, and the men were seen on-board the train at Adelaide Freight Terminal at Regency Park on Wednesday morning, Nine News reported.

One of the four stowaways who attempted to enter Adelaide on a train from Victoria. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Police swooped on the train yard, arresting the men aged 22, 26, 29 and 29, and charged them with breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

They were refused bail and appeared before Adelaide Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon.

The court heard the men - three from Victoria and one from the Northern Territory - did not know South Australia had closed its border to Victoria to stop the spread of coronavirus.

A magistrate chose not to convict the men who were released on $1000 bonds.

The group was escorted by police from Adelaide City Watch House to The Pullman Hotel to undergo mandatory quarantine in South Australia.

They covered their faces with jumpers and hands to shield themselves from waiting media.

The group enters The Pullman Hotel for quarantine. Pictures: Naomi Jellicoe

They will undergo 14 days of quarantine.

It comes as Victoria nears further lockdown measures with the State Government refusing to rule out stage four restrictions.

Further lockdown laws would be inevitable if Victoria’s soaring coronavirus tally continues to rise after the state recorded 270 new infections yesterday, the chief health officer said.

Premier Daniel Andrews also said he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of stage four restrictions.