NT hot spot travel liars sentenced to two months’ jail suspended sentences over border breaches

A 54-YEAR-OLD man convicted of ‘deceiving authorities’ about having travelled from a COVID-19 hot spot to the NT became faint as he was sentenced to two months imprisonment, suspended immediately

A 54-YEAR-OLD man convicted of “intentionally deceiving authorities” about having travelled from a COVID-19 hotspot to the NT before being arrested in Nhulunbuy became faint and had to sit down as he was sentenced to two months imprisonment, suspended immediately.

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Fadhil Al Khazali, 54, and his son Ali Al Khazali, 25, appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Monday where they each pleaded guilty to one count of contravening an emergency declaration and making a false declaration.

The court heard Fadhil is one of the partners in a taxi business in Nhulunbuy and lives between Sydney and Nhulunbuy.

Two men have pleaded guilty to breaching quarantine and lying to NT officials about having been in a COVID-19 hot spot before entering the Territory

On July 21 this year, he and his son flew from Sydney, which was a declared COVID-19 hotspot at the time, to Canberra and then to Darwin.

They both lied on their NT border entry forms, saying they had been in Canberra for a period and failed to disclose they had been in Sydney.

They then travelled to Nhulunbuy where Fadhil intended to work as a taxi driver, and Ali intended to stay with him.

The pair’s lawyer, Matt Hubber, told the court his clients are “extremely remorseful and shameful” for their offending.

“In short he (Fadhil) wanted to get back to Gove to work,” Mr Hubber said.

“He’s in a situation financially where he supports his wife and some other family in Sydney.”

He said both men have spotless records and that “it’s very unlikely these men will ever be in a court ever again.”

Fadhil Al Khazali, 54, was arrested in Nhulunbuy and flown to Darwin in shackles by the Police Air Wing. Picture: Che Chorley

Ali Al Khazali, 25, was flown to Darwin in shackles by police before being taken to Howard Springs and put into enforced quarantine. Picture: Che Chorley

During sentencing, Judge Sue Oliver described the offending as “inexplicable” saying the pair put the lives of vulnerable Territorians at risk.

“It’s really inexplicable to me as to why people would take such a deliberate action to deceive authorities,” Ms Oliver said.

“That is the insidious nature of this disease, people can be carrying it before realising they are infectious.

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“This is not a small matter, this is an insidious disease that kills people.”

Both men were given a two month prison sentence, suspended immediately, for the charge of making a false declaration, and placed on a six-month good behaviour bond for contravening an emergency declaration.