Company Owned By Tones And I Reportedly Fined $20,000

According to new reports, a company owned by Naarm/Melbourne’s Toni Watson – better known as the pop star Tones And I – has been fined $20,000 by the Frankston Magistrates’ Court.

As reported by News Corp earlier today (July 31), Watson’s investment company Johnny Run Away Pty Ltd (named for her 2019 debut single) pled guilty to three charges related to unauthorised building works that were actioned on an investment property in Melbourne between October and November of 2020.

Watson managed to avoid being charged herself – it’s said she had 11 charges against her dropped – however her husband, Jason Bedford, pled guilty to one charge of carrying out building works without a permit, earning him a $5,000 fine.

Per the reports, the property was bought by Watson’s company in 2020 for over $700,000, and was then leased to a tenant. The unauthorised works reportedly consisted of a front porch demolition, the construction of a new deck and stairway, and the removal of an internal wall. It’s said that prosecutors did not push for any criminal conviction of Watson or her company, and Watson has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors reportedly told the court that Bedford met with Frankston council members last December, where it’s said he claimed Watson owned the property and have him permission to greenlight the building works. Bedford reportedly told the council he once owned a bricklaying company and, refuting what was said in the court case’s defence submission, he did indeed have experience in conducting renovations.

Earlier this month, Watson broke the record for the highest-streamed song by a female artist, hitting a monumental ten billion streams for her single Dance Monkey.