Coronavirus: Accused border jumpers face threat of jail
Three Brisbane women who travelled to Melbourne and returned with coronavirus after falsifying their border crossing declarations have appeared in court.
Three young Brisbane women who travelled to Melbourne and back despite lockdown restrictions, and falsified their border crossing declarations, have appeared in court for the first time since they were charged by police.
Two of the women, who tested positive to the coronavirus after their return home to Logan, south of Brisbane, are suspected to be linked to the latest cluster of COVID-19 in the state.
They face up to five years in prison after being charged with fraud and breaching the Public Health Act by Queensland Police for allegedly providing false information on their declarations.
The Queensland border was closed to Victoria at the time, necessitating a two-week stay in hotel quarantine for anyone who visited the declared coronavirus hotspot. But the women flew into Sydney before flying to Brisbane, where they allegedly did not declare their visit to Victoria.
The maximum penalty for the fraud charge is five years imprisonment, while the border declaration breaches can lead to fines of up to $13,345.
Diana Lasu, 21, Olivia Muranga, 20, and Haja Timbo, 21, all appeared briefly in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
They appeared separately before the magistrate and did not interact while in the court precinct.
Ms Timbo, who did not contract the virus, had her case adjourned to October 21, while Ms Lasu and Ms Muranga’s matters will be heard on October 28.
The women remain on bail and are not required to attend court next month if they are legally represented.
They did not speak to the large media contingent gathered outside the court.
Police believe the trio hosted an illegal party at their rented Airbnb accommodation during their trip to Victoria while the city was in lockdown. The party, which had about 30 guests, was shut down by local police after reports of a disturbance.
On their return to Queensland, Ms Lasu and Ms Muranga spent eight days freely moving about the community while infectious, prompting health authorities to shut schools, restaurants and shopping centres.
At least three people were directly infected by the girls, including a family member.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has said the state’s latest cluster, which was first picked up in a woman in her 70s who worked at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, is almost certainly linked to the two infected women.
Genomic testing has revealed the women carried the same strain as the Youth Detention Centre cluster and another cluster at the police training academy.
The outbreaks led to the reinstatement of coronavirus restrictions across the state and the widespread testing for the virus.
At the time, Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the women put people’s lives at risk.
With NCA Newswire
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