The career-ending consequences jailed die-hard Demons duo may face for sneaking into WA

A decision to sneak into Perth for the Grand Final could have career-ending consequences for two Melbourne fans.

A Melbourne bar owner and financial planner who breached COVID-19 restrictions to sneak into Western Australia for the AFL grand final has been jailed for 10 months.

But they’ll only serve three months behind bars, with seven months of their sentences suspended.

Die-hard Demons fans Hayden Burbank and Mark Babbage learned their fate in a Perth court yesterday.

The men appeared separately but both pleaded guilty to three charges of breaching WA’s COVID laws, and one charge of fraud.

The court was told the men arrived in Western Australia after gaining permission to enter the state from Darwin.

But they were found to have falsified documents.

The men were pictured celebrating with Melbourne players, staff and other supporters in the rooms after the club’s drought-breaking premiership.

Melbourne barrister, Matt Collins QC, who was not involved in the case, says the activity the pair were involved in is serious.

“What a way to ruin your life,” he said on 3AW Breakfast.

“You can’t excuse what happened here which was to breach health orders, coupled with the deceit that was involved in doing from Melbourne to Darwin and then into Perth.”

Mr Collins says Burbank may struggle to keep his liquor licence, while Babbage, a financial planner, will likely be investigated by his industry’s watchdog.

“Because there’s deceit involved … anything which is indicative of dishonesty can go to whether you’re a fit and proper person to do things like hold a liquor licence or be a director in a company, so they face the risk of those matters being investigated as well,’ he said.

Press PLAY below to hear Matt Collins explain the potential ramifications for the pair