Instead, Haja Umu Timbo and Diana Lasu received community service orders for lying on their border declaration forms after travelling back to Queensland from Melbourne at the height of the southern state’s second wave.Brisbane Magistrates Court was told the resulting COVID scare caused a massive spike in testing, costing Queenslanders more than $338,000.The pair and a third woman, Olivia Muranga, were charged with fraud and providing false or misleading documents in July last year.On Friday Timbo and Lasu, both 21, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a COVID-19 health direction at Brisbane Airport.Charges of fraud and providing a false or misleading document were dismissed against each of the women.Lasu shielded her face from waiting media as she entered court.Both women sat quietly and showed little emotion through proceedings.The court was told Queensland declared a public health emergency in January last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.By July, people entering Queensland were required to make declarations about their health, including any visits to coronavirus hotspots.Hotspot visitors were required to go into hotel quarantine for two weeks at their own expense if they wanted entry into the state.Victoria was declared a COVID hotspot on July 3.Police prosecutor Sergeant Lisa Pye said Timbo and Lasu had been fined for attending attended a large Airbnb party in Melbourne that month – during the height of the state’s second wave.On July 22, both women submitted an online application for a border pass to enter Queensland but did not select the right option when disclosing they had visited a COVID-19 hotspot.After landing in Queensland, two teens visited six suburbs and nine venues, including restaurants and bars, all while infected with COVID-19. In doing so, they avoided the thousands of dollars’ involved with the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.Timbo did not test positive to coronavirus upon returning but Lasu was infected and later attended hospital.Sergeant Pye said the resulting scare caused a surge in COVID tests and cost taxpayers upwards of $338,000.She asked Deputy Chief Magistrate Janelle Brassington to issue a significant fine due to the costs required in administering more COVID tests to Queenslanders.“She (Timbo) has willingly thumbed her nose at the community,” she said.Lasu’s defence lawyer Elizabeth Davey said her client had strong ties to her local church and community.She said the impact of Lasu’s offending was “devastating” and her client was embarrassed for what she had done.It was submitted she did not fully realise the full extent of her actions at the time.“She did not know or feel like she had COVID-19,” Ms Davey said.“She still self-isolated at home that the police and Qld Health attended.”Ms Davey said Lasu had suffered an extreme amount of humiliation and racial vilification because of the publicity of her offending.She argued a conviction should not be recorded as it would hinder Lasu’s rehabilitation and ability to secure employment.Timbo’s defence lawyer Rebecca Fogerty called the actions “an error of judgment”, saying Timbo had endured months of sexist and racist abuse in the months since.The court was told the media attention was “disproportionate” to Timbo’s criminality and caused an onslaught of threatening and vile messages.“It is an experience that has permanently changed her,” Ms Fogerty said.The public backlash had caused Timbo to feel “pessimistic” about her future, Ms Fogerty said.She submitted her client had self-isolated at home instead of going into the community and her offending was motivated by financial constraints over the cost of hotel quarantine.“There was no real threat to the community and to public health and safety measures,” Ms Fogerty said.Ms Brassington acknowledged both women had suffered significant vilification as a result of the attention they received for their offending.Both Timbo and Lasu were ordered to serve 80 hours of community service. Convictions were not recorded.Ms Muranga will face a plea hearing on April 15.
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