A trip to Batemans Bay had an unhappy ending for a man and a woman from the north-west.
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William Charles Mau, 37, of Miller Street, Gilgandra, was the first of the pair to appear before magistrate Doug Dick in Batemans Bay Local Court on June 15, and pleaded guilty to three charges.
The court heard that on June 7, Mau and the woman rummaged through goods left around the Salvation Army’s charity bins on the Old Princes Highway in Batemans Bay, before they forced a locked door on a bin and took items from it.
On June 9, the police stopped Mau’s car on a traffic matter, as a result of which he was charged with driving during a 10-year licence disqualification period.
Mau told police his partner was suffering an anxiety attack and he was taking her to hospital.
Police said she showed no signs of having such an attack.
Questioned about the bin incident, Mau told police the living conditions at his emergency accommodation in Batemans Bay were so disgusting, he and his partner had decided to sleep in the car, but needed warm clothing and blankets.
On June 12, in the car park at Corrigans Beach reserve, police found a 40cm tomahawk next to the driver’s seat in this car.
He told police he had used it to remove a broken fan belt, but had failed to return it to the boot.
Because there were no signs of oil and grease on the tomahawk or Mau, police alleged he had it for purposes of self-defence or intimidation.
On the charge of having an offensive implement in a public place, Mau was fined $1000 and the tomahawk was ordered to be forfeited.
For maliciously destroying property, Mau and his co-accused, Patricia Anne Wighton, were fined $700 and ordered to pay the Salvation Army $300 compensation.
Mau’s counsel, Emad Youakim, told the court that his client was very remorseful for the damage, to which Mr Dick replied that many people would regard that as quite despicable.
On the charge of driving while disqualified, Mau, who had three previous convictions for the offence, was disqualified from driving for two years and sentenced to nine months in jail.
Mau has lodged an appeal to the District Court on the grounds of the penalty being too severe.
Mau’s application for bail was refused and he will appear before Nowra District Court on July 20.
