Guilty plea to breaching the lockdown

The Kaitaia District Court, venue for the Far North's first lockdown breach charge. Picture / File

A 29-year-old woman was fined $1000, with costs, and was given a final warning when she appeared before Judge Keith de Ridder in the Kaitaia District Court today charged with obstructing/hindering a Medical Officer of Health or person assisting a Medical Office of Health.

Patricia Mills, believed to be the first person arrested in the Far North for breaching the Covid-19 Lockdown measures, who pleaded guilty, was also warned by Judge de Ridder that she had avoided a jail term by a very narrow margin.

The maximum penalty is six months' imprisonment or a $4000 fine.

Judge de Ridder, who appeared by audio visual link (while Mills was in the dock), heard that police had found the defendant near 22 North Road, Kaitaia, at 6.19am on March 30, in breach of the Covid-19 lockdown. She was spoken to, police treating the incident as an 'educational contact.'

She was found again in the same vicinity at about 9.13pm on April 3, and was given a formal warning.

At about 10.36pm on April 9 she was found driving a vehicle in the Kaitaia area, and was stopped by police. She had a male passenger, who lived at a separate address, with her. Both were aware that they were breaching the lockdown conditions, and gave no good explanation.

Mills was found again, as a passenger in a car on the Kaitaia Awaroa Rd, at about 6:15pm on Saturday. She was with another female passenger who lived at her address, but the driver lived elsewhere. According to the police summary of facts, all three were aware that they were breaching the lockdown, as they were travelling for non-essential purposes.

Mills, who was arrested, told police that she was supporting a friend who had suffered a miscarriage the day before.

As of yesterday police had instigated 321 prosecutions for breaching the lockdown, as well as issuing about 2700 warnings and 76 youth referrals.