Police fine Perth man for paying window washer $1.50

Luke Bresland didn't think twice before handing some small change to a Perth window washer. Then he was hit with a mind-boggling fee. Photo / 123rf

A man who gave a window washer $1.50 earlier this year has spoken out after being slapped with a bizarre fine by police.

The strange incident occurred in Subiaco in February after Perth man Luke Bresland was approached by a young window washer at the intersection of Roberts Rd and Thomas St.

He paid the man $1.50 for his efforts — but was promptly pulled over by a police officer, who slapped him with a $50 fine and charged him with "buying a newspaper from a person".

Speaking to 6PR's Gareth Parker today, Mr Bresland saidhe was "flabbergasted" by the police response, and that the officer didn't even know the correct code for the offence he had been charged with.

"He pulled me over and said, 'Did you give that guy some money back there?' And I said, 'Yeah, yeah I gave him $1.50 or so or whatever it was,'" he said.

"He said, 'Are you aware it's actually illegal to pay a window washer?' and I said, 'Well, no, I certainly wasn't aware, it's news to me to be perfectly honest with you.'

"I said to the guy, surely you could caution me, because … I wasn't aware, I know that's no excuse … and clearly I hadn't actually asked him to do it.

"He said he could give a caution, but on this occasion he chose not to. So, I was actually quite flabbergasted."

Mr Bresland fronted Perth Magistrate's Court yesterday, where he was determined to plead not guilty.

However, the charge had been withdrawn.

WA Police Traffic Operations inspector Vic Hussey told 6PR the incident had been a mistake.

But he said window washers were known to cause a "lot of issues and a lot of problems" and defended the police officer in question, who he claimed had been "trying to solve the problem".

He said it was an offence to pay window washers but "the penalty of $50 suggests how we actually view that as a society".

"So, we had a chat with the officer and he reflected upon what he had done and said, 'Well, look, it probably was an exaggeration and probably wasn't the best way to address the issue at hand'," he told the station.

"The reality is, unfortunately, sometimes you can make a decision and then reflect upon on it, and it's not necessarily the best one.

"Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don't and on this occasion we stuffed up."

News.com.au approached WA Police and Mr Bresland for comment.

In New Zealand, a law introduced in 2017 forbids window washing with a $150 fine. However, that fine is for the washer, not the driver receiving the service.