‘Selfish’ Covid-infected man who ignored isolation and went to a busy Woolworths without a mask is JAILED – as magistrate says he may have given the virus to ‘who knows how many’ people
- Daniel Kennedy, 22, has been jailed and fined for shopping while Covid positive
- The man from Wollongong received a notice to self-isolate on September 8
- But police spotted him mask-less at Wollongong Woolworths on September 18
- Magistrate Claire Girotto sentenced him to 21 days jail and issued a $1000 fine
A ‘selfish’ and ‘thoughtless’ man who did his grocery shopping without wearing a mask while knowing he was infected with Covid has been jailed.
Daniel Kennedy, a 22-year-old Wollongong man, was jailed for 21 days and fined $1000 dollars after shopping at Woolworths in the Wollongong CBD on September 18.
He received a notice to self-isolate for 14 days after testing positive to the virus on September 8.
But on Saturday, police spotted Mr Kennedy walking into the supermarket without a face mask on.
Daniel Kennedy (pictured), 22, has been jailed for 21 days and fined $1000 for going shopping while knowingly Covid positive
After approaching him and asking for identification, the man offered fake names and information.
Mr Kennedy was threatened with a search and conceded, saying ‘okay, I lied, I will give you my name’.
After being taken to Wollongong Police Station, further violations of public health orders were revealed.
NSW Police went to check up on Mr Kennedy at his grandmother’s home in Dapto on September 14, but he wasn’t there.
The man received a notice to self-isolate for 14 days on September 8 but was spotted at Woolworths in Wollongong CBD (pictured) by police on September 18
His grandmother told police that she had not seen her grandson for weeks.
According to the defence, the Covid positive man had been isolating at his mother’s Wollongong home instead of the address registered to NSW Health.
On Monday in court, magistrate Claire Girotto sentenced him to a stint in prison to send a ‘sharp message to the community’.
‘At the least this is a thoughtless act and at worst an extremely selfish act, (him saying) ‘I’ve got Covid, I don’t care’,’ magistrate Girotto said to the court.
‘Who knows how many people have caught Covid because of him not wearing a mask’.
Police confronted the man and after further enquiries learned that he was unaccounted for after a check of his grandmother’s home on September 14 (pictured, the Wollongong Woolworths he shopped at)
Magistrate Claire Girotto sentenced him to a stint in prison to send a ‘sharp message to the community’ branding Mr Kennedy (pictured) ‘selfish’ and ‘thoughtless’
Defence lawyer Greg Melrose said to the court that his client didn’t understand the severity of his crimes.
‘He doesn’t appear to have any overt symptoms, it may be that he did not in fact pose a substantial risk to anyone,’ Mr Melrose said.
Mr Kennedy pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a self-isolation direction and not wearing a fitted face covering in a business premises on Monday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Dave Weaver opposed the defence, claiming that they are not medical professionals and cannot say how infectious he may have been.
Mr Kennedy will be released from jail on October 11.