A jailed footy fan has blamed 'financial hardship' for breaking WA's strict border rules so he could attend the AFL Grand Final despite splashing out on a multi-million dollar home this year.
Prahran restaurant and bar owner Hayden Burbank, 49, was jailed for at least three months after travelling from Melbourne to Perth, breaching the state's strict border regime.
Burbank's lawyer Andrew Tehan blamed pandemic-induced financial hardship for the brazen breach as the businessman was handed a suspended 10-month jail sentence in Perth's Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Despite Burbank's apparent financial struggles, he was still able to scrounge up enough cash to buy a lavish $4.8million Toorak home earlier this year.
Hayden Burbank, 49, (pictured left) has blame d financial hardship for breaching WA's strict border closures to attend the AFL Grand Final
Mr Burbank splashed out $4.8m on a lavish property (pictured) in June
The two-storey abode on Ross Street was purchased in June by Burbank after he after moved out of his Mount St property in Prahran.
He also reportedly offered to host an exclusive all-expenses paid party at his cocktail bar for the wives, families and players of Melbourne Football Club.
His lawyer told the court that he was under 'significant financial pressure', reported The Herald Sun.
Burbank, who drives a flashy Range Rover, said he was in the midst of a financial crisis which saw him forced to shut his cocktail bar Morris Jones for 225 days during the pandemic.
His lawyer also claimed the 49-year-old had only had contact with his mother, ailing father and an unnamed 'bubble buddy' during Melbourne's gruelling sixth lockdown.
'The mental toll of lockdown has been significant,' Mr Tehan said.
The court was told the former Melbourne and Carey Grammar student had also been diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD and depression in 2016.
The two-storey Ross Street property in Melbourne's Toorak is owned by Mr Burbank (pictured)
A medical report
