Covid 19 coronavirus: Two men jailed for virus security breaches

Two men who broke Covid-19 lockdown rules – one who claimed to be infected and spat at police and another who entered a quarantine facility – have been jailed after separate court cases.

In Dunedin, William Frank Meredith, who rammed a police car and wiped saliva on officers, was jailed for a year by Judge Kevin Phillips.

In Whangārei, Jesse Courtney Welsh was sentenced to six weeks in jail for entering a quarantine facility and hugging a friend who was in isolation after returning from abroad.

Meredith, 45, was approached by police on State Highway 1 on May 7 after he had stopped on a drive from Christchurch to Invercargill.

With New Zealand under level 3, all non-essential travel at the time was banned, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.

Police had earlier been called about the unsafe manner of Meredith's driving.

When a constable spoke to Meredith he appeared "clearly" affected by alcohol, court documents said. He then took off, pursued by the officer.

The chase was abandoned due to the erratic nature of Meredith's driving but Balclutha staff were informed he was heading their way.

When Meredith took another pit stop, police again approached on foot — with the same result.

The defendant sped away, until officers successfully deployed road spikes.

Meredith lurched the next 6km at 30km/h, the court heard.

As police positioned themselves to end the 27km chase, the defendant rammed one of the cars, rendering it inoperable.

Meredith failed a breath screening test but refused to provide an evidential sample of either breath or blood.

Remaining uncooperative, he wiped his saliva on custody officers.

In the cells, he claimed he was infected with Covid-19 and spat repeatedly, the court heard.

As a result, four police officers had to be tested and were required to self-isolate for three days, which meant Dunedin staff had to be temporarily transferred to cover their absence.

Counsel John Westgate yesterday passed Meredith's apologies to those officers involved.

Meredith was convicted on seven charges and was banned from driving for 25 months.

Jesse Courtney Welsh was sentenced to six weeks in jail for entering a quarantine facility. Photo / Michael Cunningham

In the other case, Welsh, 33, from the Whangārei suburb of Morningside, appeared for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of being unlawfully in an enclosed yard.

At sentencing, Judge Keith de Ridder said the fact Welsh chose to meet a friend who returned from Australia where the coronavirus risk was higher increased his culpability.

He said Welsh was out celebrating with friends in Auckland when he became aware his friend was back in the country and in isolation at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

To make matters worse, the judge said Welsh briefly embraced his friend, a serious breach of isolation rules.

"This was not an example of people under severe stress because of a family death or some other reason.

"You knew full well about the quarantine rules and were not just content with talking to him, but hugged him as well."

Welsh's lawyer, John Day, said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions, which could not be tolerated.

Welsh is in isolation and his three Covid tests all came back negative.

- Otago Daily Times, Northern Advocate