Dance Monkey star Tones and I and her husband have been fined for a dangerous, illegal renovation of investment properties in Frankston

Australian singer Tones and I and her husband have been fined $25,000 after carrying out illegal renovation work on an investment property.

Toni Watson (better known as Tones and I) and Jimmy Bedford faced a series of offenses issued against them by a Melbourne council after disobeying orders to halt renovation work on their Frankston property.

The Dance Monkey star allowed her husband to take the fall on Monday, with Bedford fronting Frankston Magistrates’ Court without his famous wife.

The property was purchased by Watson’s company Johnny Run Away – named after the debut single by Tones and I – leaving it open to a $225,000 fine.

But all charges against Watson relating to her personally were dropped.

In handing over his decision, Magistrate Charles Tan ordered Bedford personally fined $5,000 and the company $20,000.

The 31-year-old was employed as a sound engineer by the same municipality that prosecuted him.

Bedford pleaded guilty to failing to obtain permits to demolish an interior wall and build a patio and porch, as well as disobeying building orders.

Frankston City Council Prosecutor Bruce Gardiner was scathing about Bedford’s disregard for the law, accusing the pair of endangering a tenant for up to 12 months.

The court ruled that Bedford had owned his own masonry business for many years and should have known better than to ignore obtaining the required permits for the renovation.

“To suggest that the Defendant had no knowledge of building permits and the like, he said during the interrogation that he owned a masonry business for 10 years and I argue that one cannot possibly own a masonry business for 10 years and be engaged in building and building. not being aware of the requirements when removing walls on the inside of houses,” said Mr. Gardiner.

The prosecutor further claimed that the crimes were aggravated by the fact that work was going on on the premises, even after the council ordered them to stop.

“The defendants were found to be in breach of the law and were ordered to stop working for safety reasons and they continued to work and they placed a tenant in the house for a period of 12 months and that greatly exacerbates the breach,” Mr Gardiner said. said.

The municipality had called for a ‘heavy fine’, particularly for Watson’s company.

While the couple’s lawyer, Sam Bird, claimed the company ‘didn’t act’, Mr Gardiner said the council knew it had in fact bought another property in the area worth $1.35 million.

The court heard Bedford claim he had been ‘too busy’ to deal with obtaining the required permits.

Mr Gardiner said Bedford told investigators his wife owned the property and it was she who gave him permission to carry out the renovation work.

“He said, ‘We renovated the house together,'” he said.

Records show that the property was purchased by the company for $720,000 in late 2020.

The site included a three-bedroom house and a one-bedroom bungalow.

Mr Bird told the court that the illegal works were eventually found to comply with council regulations – an allegation which was refuted by the council.

“I object to that, Your Honor,” Mr. Gardiner said.

To suggest that the works were not found to be structurally deficient goes against the surveyor’s report from which I read during the summary, which states that existing load-bearing internal walls were removed and that the existing deck and veranda framing was found to be structurally deficient. are.’

At the sentencing, Mr. Tan that he took into account Bedford’s previous good character, lack of previous convictions and the requirement to work abroad without conviction.

Tones and I rose to fame from humble beginnings, starting her career as a street performer while living out of a van.

Her debut single Johnny Run Away became a hit and on the back of that success, Dance Monkey broke records and catapulted her to stardom.