An Australian teen who, along with his father, has been blamed for sparking a Covid outbreak which led to a seven-day local lockdown has been slapped with a huge fine for breaching health orders.
Kristian Radovanovic, 19, travelled with his 52-year-old father Zoran and his 15-year-old sister to the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales to inspect a farm the family were considering purchasing in July 2020.
The teen’s lawyer David Newham said he did not have any symptoms of coronavirus and had no idea he was infected.
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However, Radovanovic admitted to being ‘very laid back’ during the trip and breached a number of Covid-19 rules.
He did not wear a face covering in a taxi and a general store, and he also failed to check-in using a QR code, a measure to help contact tracing in the country.
Zoran became ill while in Byron Bay, mistaking symptoms of coronavirus for his chronic asthma, and was admitted to Lismore Base Hospital where he was diagnosed with the virus, the Daily Mail has reported.
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Kristian and his sister also tested positive and the family had to isolate for 10 days, while Byron Bay and the surrounding area was plunged into a seven-day lockdown.
Magistrate Paul Mulroney said Kristian’s actions put lives at risk.
He said: “He did not care at all about the rest of the community.
“What he did was not just irresponsible, not just criminal, but had the real potential to put the lives and the wellbeing of the community at serious risk.
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“I am imposing substantial fines to drive home to other people who don’t think this is serious.
“There should be significant consequences.”
Kristian, who did not attend court as he is currently with his father in Serbia caring for his grandmother, pleaded guilty to four charges and was hit with fines totalling AU $35,000 (£18,800).
This includes AU $7,500 (£4,000) for not wearing a mask in a general store and AU $5,000 (£2,600) for not checking in with a QR code there.
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He was also fined AU $12,500 (£6,700) for not wearing a face mask in a taxi, and AU $10,000 (£5,400) for not checking in with a QR code on this occasion.
The teen was already serving community corrections orders for a police pursuit while drunk driving and for becoming involved in a brawl. Both of these orders have been restarted, meaning Kristian also faces a 12-month Community Correction Orders and an 18-month Community Release Order.
His father Zoran is due to appear at Lismore Local Court today (20 December).
Featured Image Credit: FacebookTopics: Australia, Coronavirus, Crime