Kieran Daniel Price-Moss fined $4100 for jumping Covid lockdown

The Beaudesert man was ordered to stay home during that city’s Covid lockdown but instead he enjoyed nights out in Toowoomba.

Covid-19 lockdown jumper Kieran Daniel Price-Moss leaves Toowoomba Courthouse with his mother after being fined more than $4000 for breaching Covid-19 health directions, Wednesday, 6 October 2021.

A BEAUDESERT YouTuber who broke Covid-19 lockdown laws by spending a couple of days in Toowoomba has been fined more than $4000 by a Toowoomba magistrate.

Kieran Daniel Price-Moss, who has been involved in a YouTube channel that travels to different regional areas, ignored the directive of Queensland’s Chief Medical Officer to stay home unless for emergency reasons when Beaudesert was ordered into lockdown due to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in early August.

He was seen by a police patrol trying to get into Tattersalls Hotel without wearing a face mask about 2.30am, August 7.

Police prosecutor Bettina Trenear told Toowoomba Magistrates Court he was handed two infringement notices and the 27-year-old was told to return to his residence in Beaudesert.

However, 20 minutes later he was found by police talking to a woman outside Society Nightclub in Russell St, again without a face mask and was handed another infringement notice.

Far from returning to his Beaudesert home as directed, Price-Moss was found by police called to an unrelated matter at the entrance of the Cube Hotel about 3.25am the next day, Ms Trenear told the court.

Again, he was wearing no face mask, telling police the mask was in his pocket, she said.

Price-Moss told police he had come to Toowoomba to socialise with friends but refused to identify those friends, Ms Trenear said.

Price-Moss pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a Covid-19 direction by an emergency officer, and two counts of failing to comply with Covid-19 public health direction – CHO.

His solicitor Troy Krahenbring, of Wonderley and Hall, told the court his client had medical and mental health issues including anxiety which were exacerbated when confined to his home by the directive.

The 27-year-old had “escaped” to Toowoomba but when handed the first infringement notice he took that as simply a move on direction by police, he said.

However, when spoken to by police the next day “the penny dropped”, he said.

His client had lost his job due to Covid-19 in November last year but was now his ill mother’s carer and she was in court supporting her son, Mr Krahenbring said.

Price-Moss had no previous recorded convictions, he said.

Ms Trenear said each offence brought a penalty of $1378.50.

Magistrate Howard Osborne fined Price-Moss a total $4135.50 which was referred to SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Registry) but ordered the convictions not be recorded.