Isabella Sophie Hughes fined for breaching COVID-19 rules after entering ACT from Sydney

[Neferti]

Isabella Sophie Hughes fined for breaching COVID-19 rules after entering ACT from Sydney

A Sydney woman who travelled to Canberra in breach of COVID-19 public health orders and later left a hotel where she was meant to be isolating has been hit with a $2,500 fine.
Isabella Sophie Hughes, 24, was stopped by police at Canberra Airport on July 9 when she was unable to provide a travel exemption.

She told the ACT Magistrates Court she had come to Canberra to help a distressed friend, and that was all that had been on her mind at the time.

As soon as she arrived, police took her to a nearby hotel and told her to stay in her room until she could get a flight back to Sydney the next day.

According to an earlier statement released by ACT police, hotel staff alerted police at about 11:45pm that the woman had guests and was planning to leave the hotel in contravention of ACT Health directions.

Hughes was then arrested and spent the night in the cells after being found by police in a rideshare vehicle, having left the hotel with three other people.

Today she apologised to the court.

"I am really sorry and very embarrassed about my actions," she said.

"I was in a state of panic.
Hughes told the court she was now unemployed, having lost her job as a fine arts, jewellery and luxury goods consultant due to the pandemic.

She said she had worked in the area for four years after leaving university.
Magistrate accepts Hughes was helping friend, but disputes 'naive' claim

Magistrate Glenn Theakston said he accepted Hughes had come to Canberra to help her friend.

But he did not accept she was not aware of the rules, which he said were well established by then.

"This is not a case of you naively arriving," he told Hughes.

"You got here and were confronted by police."

He said the rules would have been made plain after police issued her with a direction, and yet she left the hotel almost immediately, and was also in close proximity with other people.

He told Hughes it was a time for people to think beyond themselves.
Hughes will have 18 months to pay off the fine.

The maximum fine for the offence is $8,000.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-07/ ... /100441228

[sprintcyclist]

This covid has harmed many people.