A woman’s extraordinary rant at two policemen who asked why she was out without a mask in Melbourne has been captured on camera.
The woman, who calls herself Jen JayJay on Facebook, posted three videos of the confrontation on social media in which she threatened to sue the officers for $60,000.
Ms JayJay started filming the incident after police approached her and her male friend and asked why they weren’t wearing a mask.
They then inform the pair that it is now illegal to be out without a face covering in the Victorian capital.
The woman launches into an extraordinary rant lasting several minutes in which she berate police while yelling ‘I do not consent’ when they try to issue her with a $200 fine.
She even demands the names of the two officers – Senior Constable Phil Gibby and Constable Jared Cavanagh – who appear shocked at her aggressive behaviour.
She begins filming the two officers from Victoria police – Senior Constable Phil Gibby and Constable Jared Cavanagh (pictured) – as she questions why they have stopped her
After being asked why she isn’t wearing a face mask she states she doesn’t have to give them a reason before refusing to hand over her name or identification.
Senior Constable Gibby tell her she is committing a crime but she continues arguing her case.
‘It’s actually not commonwealth law, you don’t know what you’re talking about right now,’ she said.
When she continues to ignore their orders the policemen say she could be arrested if she doesn’t give them identification.
She then demands the two police officers hand over their names and badge numbers.
One of the exasperated officers then says he will be issuing her a fine for disobeying health orders.
Senior Constable Gibbt tells the irate woman she is committing a crime but she continues to argue
In the next video Senior Constable Gibby explains that new laws came in force from midnight on Wednesday that mandate the wearing of face masks in public.
But when she is told once again she will be arrested if she fails to hand over her name and details she continues arguing.
‘We don’t consent and if you do arrest us we will be suing you for armed kidnapping,’ she said.
She then demands officers ‘prove’ the offence has been committed and asks if exceptions can be made for issuing fines.
Senior Constable Gibby tells her police can ‘use discretion’ when issuing fines but because of their ‘horrible’ attitude they won’t be doing that.
The blameless officers write down their names and badge numbers to give to the woman
In the third video Senior Constable Gibby tells them they are under arrest for failing to obey police orders.
The officers tell her they will be required to take them back to the police station but the woman refuses to accept that she has committed an offence.
‘I don’t have to give you my details, I’m just a citizen walking around and at this point your job is to make sure we are safe,’ she said.
‘I can see you’re carrying guns, both of you, so I’m fearing for my life.’
Senior Constable Gibby advises her he will be taking the pair back to the police station to confirm their identification.
‘I do not consent to that and I will be suing you personally. Not your department. You will be personally sued for $60,000 each,’ she said.
The videos have attracted thousands of comments online condemning her behaviour.
A second post on her page hours later defending her right to freedoms attracted a similar reaction.
A post on her Facebook page defending her freedom has attracted widespread criticism from the public
The videos have attracted thousands of comments online condemning her behaviour
A new law mandating the compulsory wearing of face masks in Melbourne came into effect on Thursday.
Police have the power to issue $200 on the spot fines for anyone who breaches the new rules.
The changes are part of an effort to slow community transmission of COVID-19 as Victoria struggles with soaring case numbers amid a second wave.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they are aware of videos circulating online but wouldn’t comment on specific breaches.
‘We understand that the vast majority of Victorians are trying to do the right thing and our exercise of discretion will reflect that,’ the spokesperson said.
‘That said, we do expect people to follow the Chief Health Officer’s directions and will not hesitate to issue fines to people who are obviously and blatantly showing a disregard for community safety by failing to wear a mask.’
‘This is a critical measure designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus.’
In the past 24 hours Victoria Police issued 97 fines for COVID-19 breaches. 11 of those were for failing to wear a face covering.
Victoria Police and Australian Defence Force members (pictured) were seen patrolling the streets of Melbourne to enforce coronavirus rules on Saturday morning
Victoria has announced 357 new coronavirus cases (pictured) after clusters in aged care facilities continue to grow and at least 313 health workers have been infected
Victoria recorded five deaths and 357 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday out of a total of 3,995 active cases.
Of the new cases 37 have been traced to existing outbreaks while 320 are still unknown.
Police have been working alongside The Australian Defence Force to enforce stay at home directives for people who have tested positive for coronavirus.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged residents to abide by the new mandatory rule to cover their faces while out in public
‘Masks are effectively our stage four,’ he said.
‘If they are worn by everybody, we may not need to go further. We can’t rule out going further with rule changes, but it’s a big game changer,’ he said.