Suzanne Marie Derrett (43) appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after her case was transferred from Auckland.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a Covid-19 order — which carries a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment — but police prosecutor Tim Hambleton said diversion might be considered since she had no previous convictions.
Diversion allows defendants to complete a range of tasks such as community work or counselling, which, if done successfully, results in the charge being withdrawn.
The matter was adjourned until Friday for that process to be undertaken.
Derrett arrived from Brisbane on June 27 and returned a negative Covid-19 test three days later.
On July 4 — a week before she was due to leave — she absconded from Auckland’s Pullman Hotel. Derrett was found a couple of blocks away, in Anzac Ave, less than two hours later.
Court documents revealed Derrett entered an outdoor courtyard of the hotel, designated as a smoking area, fenced by a 1.5m brick wall and surrounded by a hedge.
She spent 20 minutes in the area and "displayed signs of emotional distress", yelling and talking to herself.
The defendant went back inside the hotel but was outside again nine minutes later.
Derrett shouted at staff through a window then, after a period of calm, leapt over the wall and ran off.
Counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner said her client was suffering significant anxiety at the time of the crime, which put it at the "lower end of the scale".
She initially asked for Judge Jim Large to sentence Derrett yesterday, until police raised the possibility of diversion.
The court previously heard Derrett finished her isolation period and had been tested twice for Covid-19, both tests returning negative results.
Every person who arrives in New Zealand must be isolated for a minimum period of 14 days.
They must also test negative for Covid-19 before they can go into the community.
Head of managed isolation and quarantine Air Commodore Darryn Webb said earlier this month that more than 27,000 people had completed managed isolation since March 26.
"We take any breach of the Covid-19 rules very seriously. Wilfully leaving our facilities will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will be taken," he said.
"As we have said repeatedly, actions such as these are completely unacceptable. Returnees are given clear instructions and information about what their responsibilities are."
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Comments
Let us hope the judiciary play with a level hand then.
Emotional distress is what we ALL suffered as we ALL were required to stay in our homes for 4 WEEKS.
Many of us didn't live in anything near as comfortable as Derrett was in the hotel, with meals provided, all free of charge.
Absolutely the majority of us were very, very, very low risk of actually having and so spreading Covid. That was not the case with Derrett nor any of the thousands of people that return to NZ from an ever increasing infected world.
The message of law enforcement needs to be clear, which was the case until police prosecution let everyone down.
Derrett and all of those that get to experience NZ quarantine need to feel grateful and be appreciative that they are here because there are many NZers who would gladly full their shoes and do what is asked of them.