A 20-year-old man has been banned for life from Optus Stadium and fined $1,000 after climbing the venue's central tower during a Metallica concert in Perth. Beau William Loch Rollings, from Carey Park, and Rory Hugh Culbert, 23, from Australind, scaled the tower on November 1 during the band's two-hour set.
Perth Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that the pair jumped over security fencing around 10:30 p.m. and remained on the tower at heights between 10 and 50 meters for about 20 minutes before climbing down. Both men pleaded guilty to trespass by summons.
Magistrate Ruth Dineen described the act as “an incredibly stupid thing to do” and noted that “something that seemed funny at the time” had serious consequences. The police prosecutor stated the pair gave no explanation for their conduct, and their mobile phones containing footage of the incident were seized.
Defense counsel Rachael Gemmell called it “just stupid behaviour” that Rollings did not intend to repeat. The magistrate agreed to return Rollings' phone rather than destroy it and granted a spent conviction, noting the charge had been a “sobering experience.” Rollings admitted to drinking before the climb.
Rollings was fined $1,000 plus $308.80 in court costs. Culbert received a similar penalty on Monday and was also banned from the stadium for life.
