Logan women escape jail after dodging COVID-19 border restrictions
Two women who falsified border declaration passes to travel from a COVID-19 hotspot into Queensland without undergoing quarantine have escaped jail time.
Last July, Haja Timbo, 21, and Diana Lasu, 21, lied to health authorities in order to cross the border into Queensland after a trip to Melbourne, which was a declared hotspot at that time.
The court was told the pair self-isolated upon their return to Queensland, limiting their time in the community. Lasu later tested positive to COVID-19, although Timbo did not.
The pair were facing possible jail time or heavy fines after initially being charged with fraud but today plead guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to the lesser charge of failing to comply with a health direction.
The judge sentenced them to 80 hours of community service, noting they had been subjected to vile, racist abuse on social media which had been sufficient punishment.
No conviction was recorded.
Timbo’s lawyer said she was “happy to perform the community service, as a sign of how sorry she is for what has happened”.
A third woman alleged to have travelled with the pair, 20-year-old Olivia Muranga, is due to face court next month.
