The organiser of a "secret" New Year's Eve party at a Perth bar has been found guilty of breaching COVID-19 restrictions by allowing partygoers to dance and drink standing up while trying to hide what was happening from police.
Farooq Latief, 26, held the event at The George Bar in Perth's CBD on New Year's Eve in 2021, when the city was in the midst of strict COVID-19 restrictions because of concerns about an outbreak of the virus amongst backpackers.
Latief had organised the event, including selling tickets for $10 through a website, and on the night helped serve drinks.
Police attended the venue twice during the night and both times saw partygoers dancing, standing up drinking and not wearing masks.
The first time, the bar's owner was given a warning to make sure people complied, but when officers attended the second time, they again saw people ignoring the restrictions.
It took some time for the officers to get inside the venue despite them banging on doors and flashing a torch, because they were confronted with locked gates and black curtains covering the windows.
Latief helped 'feign' compliance: judge
Last year the bar's owner, Vinod Parihar, pleaded guilty to two charges, and he was given a seven-month suspended jail term.
But Latief pleaded not guilty and at his trial in the Perth Magistrates Court earlier this year, he claimed he was merely a guest at the event and had no control over the patrons.
Today Magistrate Robert Young rejected his defence and found him guilty of both charges.
Magistrate Young said while Lateif was not in control of the premises because he was not the owner, he did aid Parihar in trying to hide from police that the partygoers were not complying with restrictions.
A lot of what happened on the night was captured by CCTV cameras and the footage, which Mr Young said "speaks for itself", was crucial evidence in Latief's trial.
The footage included vision of Latief putting up black curtains over the windows, locking the back door to prevent officers from entering the venue, and trying to get patrons to sit down.
Mr Young rejected Latief's evidence that he was just a guest at the event as "vague and unconvincing", and said the evidence showed he had aided Parihar in "feigning" COVID-19 restriction compliance.
Latief's bail was renewed until he is sentenced later this month.
