Police reveal staggering fines after illegal engagement party

Dozens of people who attended an illegal engagement party in Melbourne have copped eye-watering fines.

Dozens of guests at an engagement party held in breach of Melbourne’s strict lockdown laws have been handed staggering fines.

The 69 people who attended the party in Caulfield, where guests openly mocked restrictions, will be slugged $5500 each.

“That’s over $350,000 worth of fines, so it’s an expensive engagement party,” Police Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters on Monday.

“That’s what we’re going to be doing moving forward.”

Footage of the event, which was allegedly held last week, prompted outrage after it was circulated online.

The video, seen by NCA NewsWire, shows guests laughing at a joke made by the fiance about the event being held during Melbourne’s sixth lockdown where people aren’t allowed to gather in private residences.

“Clearly this is legal, this is a group-therapy session, that’s why my father is here,” the groom-to-be told the room full of maskless attendees.

One guest quipped, “he’s a mental health clinician”, while another said “the doctors here” as laughter erupted in the room.

The fiance joked about the event being ‘legal’.

It was later revealed that a Covid-positive person was believed to have attended the party.

The police chief described their behaviour as “selfish” and “absolutely outrageous”.

The event has caused uproar among both the Jewish community and the wider Melbourne public.

Under Melbourne’s lockdown rules no visitors are allowed into private homes and weddings are forbidden, with people only allowed to leave the house for five reasons.

Former member of Victoria’s Legislative Council and a member of Melbourne’s Jewish community, Philip Dalidakis, condemned the “outrageous” behaviour.

Mr Dalidakis said he knew people in the video and was “speechless” at their behaviour.

“They should be ashamed,” he wrote on Facebook.

Guests laughed at the party when a joke was made about the Covid-19 lockdown.

“I am genuinely shocked at the brazen disregard for our laws.

“Not one person in the video should be there, not one person in the video is using masks, not one person in the video is considering the selfish impact their behaviour is now having.”

He said the event was not representative of the Jewish community.

“However, small pockets of our Orthodox and ultra Orthodox community need to see this event as an opportunity to reset and reflect on just how dangerous and selfish their behaviour has been,” he said.

The Rabbinical Council of Victoria issued a statement in response to the video urging the community to “comply with all government restrictions without exception”.

The party was allegedly held during lockdown. Picture: Supplied

“For the removal of any possible doubt, this includes all illegal gatherings, including for prayer,” they said.

“We unreservedly condemn such actions, which bring risk and shame to the entire community.”

In the past week, police have observed Victorians gathering in parks in large numbers, attending walking pub crawls in Richmond and not wearing masks.

Police also broke up a dinner party of eight in Southbank and a party of eight in Melbourne and stopped a private property on the Mornington Peninsula from hosting a party expected to host 1000 people.

“We have seen so many different breaches, it is ridiculous, it has to stop,” Mr Patton said.

“They are trying to get around the rules and guidelines. It is totally unacceptable and everybody knows they’re doing the wrong thing.” 

The state reported 22 new cases on Monday, with just 14 of those in isolation during their infectious period.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced a further two-week lockdown for the city while introducing a 9pm-5am curfew.

While making the announcement, Mr Andrews said he was incredibly angry at those who attended the engagement party, which has since been declared a transmission event.

“I know many, many people across Victoria are angry about that event. It shouldn‘t have happened,” he said.

“What makes me really angry about that event is that each of those 69 people will have to be interviewed, their close contacts will have to be spoken to, tested, their close contacts will have to be spoken to and tested, our contact tracers who are working their guts out for all of us, we have to spend literally thousands of hours dealing with hundreds and thousands of people connected to that engagement party.

“There has been transmission at that event, the only question is will it be a superspread event.”

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