Two nude sunbathers received emergency assistance and $1000 fines for breaching COVID-19 public health orders after being startled by a deer and becoming lost in the Royal National Park.
Announcing 44 tickets for breaches of COVID-19 health orders over the past 24 hours, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller warned enforcement had ramped up over the first weekend of the lockdown.
“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbaking naked on a beach on the South Coast. They were startled by a deer, ran into the … national park and got lost,” Mr Fuller said.
“Not only did they require assistance from SES and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket for $1000.”
The men called for assistance around 6pm on Sunday after becoming lost during a visit to a remote beach, according to police.
Responding to the call, emergency services located a naked 30-year-old man wearing a backpack on the walking track near Lady Wakehurst Drive at Otford.
There are hundreds of wild deer in the Royal National Park. Credit:Janie Barrett
A second man, 49 and “partially clothed”, was then found following a further search.
The men told police they had been on a nearby beach when they were startled by the deer, NSW Police said in a statement.
They were taken to St George Police Station and issued $1000 public infringement notices for breaching orders prohibiting Sydney residents travelling outside the city.
“Now, it’s only a small percentage of the New South Wales people that are not following the health guidelines,” Mr Fuller said on Monday.
“But I can assure you, if you breach the health orders or the guidelines, you will be punished.”
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Fergus Hunter is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.