A Cootamundra man has been handed a 12 month suspended prison sentence for multiple bond breaches and a string of charges.
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James Richard Paul Clark, 30, appeared in custody at Cowra Local Court on Wednesday, for sentencing on five charges and four bond breaches.
The charges were use carriage service to menace/harass/offend, having custody of a knife, unlawfully enter land and break and enter.
Defence solicitor Clive Hill told the court Clark has had a dependency on illicit substances for most of his life and “doesn’t know how to free himself from the drug problem.”
Mr Hill suggested his drug use resulted in the break and enter of a hotel in Cootamundra on July 13 last year.
According to facts tendered at court, Clark was witnessed on CCTV footage entering the hotel’s upstairs accommodation about 10.40pm.
About 12.30am it was reported that a room had been broken into and a number of items were missing.
Police was shown the CCTV footage.
On July 21, Clark was in custody at Cootamundra Police Station for an unrelated matter and he was questioned about the break and enter.
He denied all knowledge.
A search of his house on Williams Street located a number of the missing items including an Apple iPad and digital camera.
He was arrested on July 24 at a friends house.
The charge of use carriage service to menace/harass/offend relates to multi-media text messages Clark sent on a mobile phone on June 2 and June 28 last year.
Police statements reveal the victim feared their safety and deemed the texts inappropriate.
On June 4, 2016 police searched Clark on Kendal Street, Cowra following reports he was harassing members of public.
The search found a retractable knife clipped to his waist.
At court, Magistrate Dare ordered the knife be destroyed.
In relation to the unlawful entry charge, Clark was witnessed lurking on the veranda of a residence on Chamen Street, Cootamundra about 4pm on July 15 last year.