Two Victorian men jailed for breaching SA quarantine directions

Two Victorian men who were rude and abusive to medi-hotel staff in Adelaide when they breached quarantine directions earlier this month have been sentenced to more than a month in prison.

Chol Manjok and Semain Akue Bol, both aged 19, pleaded guilty in the Adelaide Magistrates Court to failing to comply with a COVID-19 direction, among other charges.

The two men, who are related, arrived at Adelaide Airport from Melbourne on August 4 and were directed to quarantine at the Pullman Hotel as the state’s border was shut to non-approved Victorian travellers.

The court heard Manjok had intended to come to Adelaide to see his girlfriend and stay with his aunt in Adelaide’s north for a few months while he undertook a civil construction course, while Bol wanted to get a job and “turn his life around and become a better man”.

The court heard Manjok was drunk when he arrived at the airport and provided a false name and date of birth to authorities.

Both men were then escorted to the hotel to quarantine, but left their rooms without a mask, were rude and abusive to hotel staff and threatened to damage their rooms.

“He realises now — once the alcohol wore off — that he could have spent from the 4th August in a hotel room watching TV whenever he wanted, rather than being in an infirmary at either the Adelaide Remand Centre or at Yatala.

“He’s apologetic to the South Australian public for his behaviour.

“He understands that by failing to put on a mask each time he left his room he was potentially one of those breakout incidents.”

The court heard that at one stage, another quarantining traveller on the same floor of the hotel got accidentally locked out of her room.

Bol — who did not have a lawyer — told the court he only left his room once to get his food and he was not abusive towards the staff but he would “just plead guilty” so the case could be finalised today.

Magistrate says hotel staff ‘deserve better’

In sentencing the men, Magistrate Todd Grant said Manjok had a “fairly significant criminal history in Victoria”.

“The paramount regard that I have to have regard to is the protection and safety of the community as a whole and in particular the people who have a very difficult job in working in these hotels,” he said.

“They’re doing a difficult job, they’re putting themselves at risk for the community and they deserve better than this.

Magistrate Grant said Bol’s offending was less serious but both men were entitled to a 40 per cent discount for their early guilty pleas.

Manjok was sentenced to one month and 12 days’ jail and Bol one month and six days.

The sentence has been backdated to August 4.

Manjok was also convicted and fined $300 for providing false information to authorities.

A similar charge against Bol was withdrawn.

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