Shoeless and handcuffed, alleged hotspot travel liars flown to Darwin before being taken to Howard Springs

TWO people, who allegedly falsely declared they had not been in a coronavirus hotspot before entering the Territory have been flown to Darwin under police guard, shoeless and in handcuffs

• Two arrivals to face court for allegedly lying about hotspot travel
• Stat dec border crossing ‘discrepancies’ caught cops’ eyes

TWO people, who allegedly falsely declared they had not been in a coronavirus hotspot before entering the Territory have been flown to Darwin under police guard, shoeless and in handcuffs

The two men will now spend the remainder of their quarantine period at the Government’s Howard Springs camp.

The pair, aged 25 and 54, were taken into police custody in Nhulunbuy and placed into quarantine before they were today flown to Darwin on a police flight.

The younger of the two men is taken from the Police Airwing flight in Darwin, shoeless and in handcuffs. Picture: Che Chorley

The men were both handcuffed, barefoot and wearing gloves and masks as they were taken from the Police Airwing aircraft and placed in the back of a police paddy wagon parked on the Darwin Airport tarmac.

From there they were due to be taken to the Howards Springs facility.

The two men, who flew into the Northern Territory this week, have been accused of lying on their statutory declarations when entering the NT, an offence which carries heavy penalties, including three years in jail.

A police investigation has revealed the 25-year-old and a 54-year-old had allegedly been in Sydney within 14 days of entering the NT.

The duo travelled to Nhulunbuy on Tuesday on a flight from the Australian Capital Territory via Queensland.

Today’s police flight from Nhulunbuy touched down in Darwin about 2pm carrying the pair.

The two men are secured in to the back of the police paddy wagon on the Darwin Airport tarmac before being taken to the Howard Springs quarantine facility. Picture: Che Chorley

The older man was shoeless, and wearing a blue, orange and white striped polo shirt and long dark trousers.

The younger man was also shoeless and wearing a blue fishing shirt and jeans with rips at the knees.

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A handful of police were on hand to escort the men, with those in contact with them also wearing masks and gloves.

The older of the two men, shoeless and in handcuffs, is placed into the back of a police paddy wagon on the tarmac of Darwin Airport. Picture: Che Chorley

The men have each been issued with a notice to appear in court on Monday, August 10, for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer’s directions under section 56 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011, and for allegedly making a false declaration pursuant to section 119 of the Criminal Code Act (NT) 1983.

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