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City of Joondalup reminds residents of pool ownership obligations after Currambine man fined

Mark DonaldsonJoondalup Times

CITY of Joondalup has reminded residents of the obligations that come with pool ownership after a Currambine man was last week fined for ignoring requests to improve the safety of his pool.

David Noel Fuller was fined $1500 plus $933 costs in Joondalup Magistrates Court on November 3.

The court heard City inspectors visited his property on multiple occasions between February and July to find he had not heeded their demands to put a fence around his backyard pool.

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He did not appear in court.

After looking at photos of Fuller’s pool, Magistrate Gregory Benn said there was “grave potential for real harm”.

“There’s been a number of attempts to have the occupier address this problem, which have gone unheeded,” he said.

Fuller’s fine followed that of another man Austin James Pibworth, of Hillarys, who was fined $2000 plus more than $900 costs in Joondalup Magistrates Court on October 6 for ignoring requests from City inspectors to improve the security around his pool.

Officers visited the property between March and July.

The court heard one of the main issues was possible access to the pool from a public access way.

Magistrate Michelle Pontifex said there was an “obvious risk”, particularly for children who might walk past.

“It invites vulnerable children into the situation unsupervised,” she said.

Joondalup Mayor Albert Jacob said there were more than 22,200 residential pools and spas in the City, which inspectors were required by law to assess at least once every four years.

Re-inspections were required if modifications were requested.

A pool fence must stand at least 1.2m and have a self-closing gate.

“Drowning is the single biggest cause of accidental death among children under five years old and it is important that every resident takes responsibility to make sure their pool or spa complies with current safety regulations,” he said.

Multiple drownings in the northern suburbs in recent years have highlighted the risk of backyard pools.

Two years ago today, two-year-old Lachlan Mitchell drowned after he found a way to breach the fence of a pool at a Carramar daycare.

The fence met safety standards.

In April 2016, a three-year-old boy drowned in a pool at a Mullaloo home.

The Royal Life Saving Society of WA today launched the Keep Watch campaign, releasing a series of community service announcements to be broadcast over summer.

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