IN THE DOCK
Nervous Zara Holland appears shaken in court as Love Island star is fined £4,500 but escapes jail over Covid breach
ZARA Holland appeared shaken in court today as she was fined £4,500 - but spared a prison sentence - over breaking Covid rules while on a sunshine break with her boyfriend.
The "selfish" Love Island star, 25, was slapped with a £4,500 fine after trying to flee Barbados with partner Elliott Love after he tested positive for coronavirus.
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But many say the pay-out is just "small change" - and she got off lightly compared to a Jamaican tourist jailed for six months for breaking the island's rules to "buy Fanta" and snacks a month ago.
Meanwhile, a petition organised by a man living in Bridgetown, Barbados has called the result "deeply disappointing".
James Maclean said: "This is a deeply frustrating result because, whilst it might be a seemingly large amount for most of us, £4,000 is small change to someone like Zara.
"She can undoubtedly recoup that with a single paid promotional selfie."
He added: "It hardly seems fair that one person can pay a fine, whilst another can't and goes to jail - it's the same the world over sadly."
People have also taken to social media to hit out at the result.
One said: "Never really cared about influencers, but the pandemic has really shown how selfish some are."
Another wrote: "Yet another 'celeb' knowingly endangering people and breaking Covid laws and escaping consequences.
"Bloody disgraceful and unacceptable.
"If an 'ordinary' person had done this, they would have been put in jail.
"What a joke."
And a third penned a diatribe to the star calling her a 'selfish, disgraceful, disgusting coward'.
She wrote: "Covid doesn't pick and choose who will be infected - you are not immune.
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"Grow the hell up."
Zara was pictured in a blue face mask, smart black dress and white sandals as she arrived at District D Magistrates' Court in St Thomas with her lawyer today.
She pleaded guilty to breaching Covid lockdown laws by "leaving quarantine without reasonable explanation" - a breach punishable by a year in prison and a fine of up to £18,000.
Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes, known for his tough stance against Covid rule breakers, ordered Zara to pay a £4,417 fine ($12,000 Barbados dollars) within seven days or face nine months in prison, reports.
Zara's lawyer, Andrew Pilgrim QC, said she had admitted her attempt to leave the country was "foolish".
He said she accepted "full responsibility" for her actions.
Zara and Elliott were both swabbed on arrival in Barbados and ordered to isolate at the £300-a-night beachfront Sugar Bay hotel - and when Elliott’s test came back positive, they made a run for it to avoid being quarantined.
After cops found the hotel room that they were supposed to be isolating in empty, Zara and Elliott, 30, were intercepted by police at the airport.
Elliott was taken to the island’s Paragon military base, which has been converted into a Covid-19 quarantine centre, and Zara was ordered to isolate.
She was forced to check in to the £350-a-night Hilton after the owner of the Sugar Bay refused to allow her to return.
Appearing in court today, she was accused of "contravening the emergency Covid-19 curfew directive" in that "while being a person in quarantine did leave her hotel premises without reasonable explanation".
It’s believed Elliott will be questioned by police once he has recovered from coronavirus, and could also face charges.
In a TV broadcast, Prime Minister Mia Mottley earlier said the government was prepared to take the "necessary action" against tourists breaking the rules, such as Zara and her boyfriend.
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"I believe that by far the majority of tourists are complying, but the handful who have chosen, literally to ignore our morals, ignore our customs, ignore our laws and guidelines, then you must equally be held accountable with the respect to what you have to face coming out of this country," she said, according to .
It comes after Weekes jailed Dean George Scott, 49, last week for breaching quarantine rules.
The Jamaican tourist admitted breaking quarantine rules to buy drinks and snacks after arriving on the island at the beginning of December.
He was jailed was six months, with Weekes saying the sentence served as a "clear warning" to others.
But Zara, a former Miss Great Britain, avoided jail and was slapped with a fine instead.
She has been confined to her hotel room since .
She seemed forlorn as she was seen for the first time since her interception yesterday - gazing out to the ocean from behind the railings of the Hilton Barbados Resort.
Wearing a white sports bra and a sarong in pictures exclusive to The Sun, the former beauty queen paced nervously around the balcony in full view of dozens of other holidaymakers.
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One told us: "She looked very forlorn and clearly had a lot on her mind. This obviously wasn’t the dream New Year holiday she had envisaged.
“She spent a lot of time talking on her mobile and nibbling on fruit. It can’t be nice being locked up in a hotel room - but better than a jail cell.”
It has now emerged the island has had a surge of 200 new cases of the virus in the past two days, with 33 linked to the airport from which the couple tried to leave.
Zara, from North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, previously told island newspaper Barbados Today: "I would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for."
She said: "I firstly wish to apologise to the entire country of Barbados for what has been a massive mix up and misunderstanding during my most recent stay."
Zara added: "I am currently working closely with the local authorities to rectify any issues on my part and will issue an update and full statement which I think is the only right thing to do to the Government and citizens of Barbados."
But more than 3,500 people, mainly islanders, signed another petition demanding the pair be thrown in jail.
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The petition reads: "They undermined the huge amount of work that had been done to suppress community transmission and they didn’t just risk the livelihoods of Bajans, they risked their lives.
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"If one single person dies as a result of their selfish and cowardly actions, then they should be charged with murder. Either way, we strongly believe they should receive a custodial sentence, either in Barbados or the UK, for wantonly endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of people."
People who signed the petition labelled the couple "selfish".
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Zara Holland to be ‘held accountable’ for flouting Covid lockdown laws with boyfriend on holiday in Barbados, PM warns
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