Zara Holland ‘can’t leave Barbados to return to the UK until £4,417 fine clears’
Zara Holland is having to remain in Barbados until her £4,417 fine clears before she will be allowed to return to the UK.
The former Love Island star, 25, managed to avoid jail time for breaking quarantine rules in Barbados after attempting to leave the island instead of isolating after her boyfriend Elliot Love, 30, tested positive for coronavirus.
She is now having to stay in her room at the luxury £350-a-night Hilton hotel until the payment clears in the bank and she is able to leave, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
Zara has seven days to pay the fine, or faces nine months in prison, while her boyfriend remains in a military facility called the Paragon Isolation Centre for his quarantine.
Earlier in the week, Zara had appeared in front of District A Magistrates Court in Bridgetown where her lawyer admitted she had made a ‘foolish error’ by trying to flee the island but takes ‘full responsibility’.
Her lawyer, Andrew Pilgrim QC, also told the court that the funds had been deposited in his firm’s account, but the recent Bank Holidays meant the money hadn’t cleared yet.
Zara had also apologised for her actions, telling Barbados Today in a statement: ‘I firstly want to apologise to the entire country of Barbados for what has been a massive mix up and misunderstanding during my most recent stay.
‘I am currently working with the local authorities to rectify any issues on my part and will issue an update and full statement which I think is the only right thing to do to the Government and citizens of Barbados.
‘I have been a guest of this lovely island in excess of 20 years and would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for and which has treated me as a family.’
Zara had had two negative coronavirus tests before arriving on the island, but she and Elliot had tried to leave the island after he tested positive and they were told to quarantine in their hotel.
Her lawyer also added outside court: ‘We accept the decision of the court. Miss Holland wants to express her sincere apologies to the entire nation of Barbados. At this point we have no further comment.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Zara’s reps for comment.
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