Melbourne sunbed operator fined $61,000 for running illegal solarium

A man who ran an illegal tanning business in Melbourne despite being repeatedly warned to shut it down has been slapped with $61,000 in fines and legal fees.

Steven Hawker, aged 48, previously pleaded guilty to nine charges under Victoria's Radiation Act by providing a tanning unit for a fee on 853 occasions after advertising on Gumtree.

Solariums and sunbeds were banned in Victoria from the start of 2015, following research on their links to cancer.

Hawker, who has worked as a hairdresser for 30 years, appeared via video link in Melbourne Magistrates Court in June.

He bought the tanning bed on eBay in early January 2015 for $5300, subsequently advertising the unit for use, with a number of people responding over several months.

The Court was told the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services contacted Hawker, asking him to remove the advertisement immediately and advising that he risked substantial fines.

Hawker's response was an email saying "eat my arse".

An investigative journalist subsequently contacted Hawker and used the solarium.

Magistrate Tara Hartnett noted Hawker continued operating even after authorities warned him that what he was doing was illegal, advising "the continued offending was incredibly bold, brazen and arrogant."

Hawker was fined an aggregate sum of $18,000 and ordered to pay costs of $43,628.

Image used for illustrative purposes only.