Bundoora couple Clare and Jason Zahra have become the first Victorians to be prosecuted for running an illegal tanning salon since a ban on commercial tanning was introduced in 2015.
The couple, of Tropical Sun Industries, faced Heidelberg magistrates court on September 21, pleading guilty to multiple charges of conducting a commercial tanning practice from a Heidelberg business and then a Bundoora house.
Most charges related to evidence collected by the Health and Human Services Department after multiple searches of a Bundoora property in August and October last year.
Four commercial tanning units were seized during the October search.
Mrs Zahra also pleaded guilty to breaking seals on tanning beds in a Heidelberg shop, and one charge of giving false information. The units had been sealed in early 2015 by the department to prevent them from being used.
Mr Zahra also pleaded guilty to one charge of breaking seals on tanning beds in a Heidelberg shop. And he was found guilty of one charge of hindering a departmental officer during a search in August last year.
The company, and the Zahras, were convicted and fined a total of $68,500 and ordered to pay the department $10,000 in costs. Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the government took the ban seriously.
“Solariums are deadly cancer machines and that’s why they are banned in Victoria,” she said.
Details about alleged illegal solariums should go to the department on 1300 767 469 or radiation.safety@dhhs.vic.gov.au
