A 20-year-old who travelled to Byron Bay with his father who had COVID-19, sparking a seven-day lockdown of the area, has been fined $35,000.
Kristian Radovanovic was 19 when he left his Rose Bay home in Sydney and travelled to the NSW northern rivers region with his father Zoran to buy property in late July.
Kristian did not appear for his sentencing as he was looking after his grandmother in Serbia, the Waverley Local Court was told on Monday.
He had pleaded guilty to four charges over failing to abide by public health orders and was "very regretful of the lockdown that occurred" his lawyer David Newham said.
Magistrate Paul Mulroney said all the offences involved a disregard for public health and safety.
"He did not care at all about the rest of the community," he said.
"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.
"I am imposing substantial fines to drive home to other people who don't think this is serious ... there should be significant consequences."
The man and his 52-year-old father, who had COVID-19, travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay. Source: AAP
'Reasonable excuse'
For not using a QR code and failing to wear a mask in a general store, Kristian Radovanovic was fined $5,000 and $7,500 respectively, and for not wearing a mask or using a QR code in a taxi he was fined $12,500 and $10,000 respectively.
The family had a reasonable excuse to enter the region to purchase a farm after his father's senior business partner had already inspected it and communicated in essence "this is the one", the court was told.
He "wasn't exploiting a loophole", and when a Serbian father tells his son to jump, Mr Newham said, he asks "how high?".
"At that point in time, they didn't know they were infected with COVID-19 at all," the lawyer said.
The family packed up some belongings and travelled to Byron Bay on 31 July.
They stopped into places throughout the northern rivers, including towns along the Richmond River and around Ballina, according to court documents.
After the original property was disappointing, the father made an offer on a Nimbin farm on 5 August.
By this time he was having breathing difficulties he assumed was due to his chronic asthma, the court was told.
Days later, the 52-year-old was admitted to hospital with the virus, subsequently leading Byron Bay and surrounding areas into a one-week lockdown in August.
His son also tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered for 10 days in a small room with a toilet, describing the situation as "hell".
Mr Newham said his client accepted there was no excuse for his conduct but pointed out "half the people around were doing the same thing".
Police prosecutor Matthew Wade said Kristian Radovanovic deliberately chose to ignore the laws at the time.
"It doesn't matter what the mood was in Byron Bay," he said.
Despite protests from his lawyer that the young man was not "flush with funds", the magistrate said the family were able to purchase property, fly and live overseas.
