Northern Rivers man too drunk to remember breaking into school
“I can’t honestly tell you what happened I was that drunk... I woke up outside the economics classroom”.
Police & Courts
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A Woodenbong man has claimed he was too drunk to remember breaking into a local school, despite waking up at the scene and his fingerprints being found on classroom windows.
Stephen Philip Henry Close-Neilson was sentenced before Lismore Local Court on Wednesday, charged with break and entering Woodenbong Central School with the intent to steal.
He also faced a failure to appear in accordance with bail conditions charge.
Close-Neilson pleaded guilty to both charges.
According to court documents, police allege Close-Neilson, drunk with a relative, broke into Block D of the school on the night of October 3, 2020 between 5pm and 9.30am the next day.
It is believed Close-Neilson gained access to the classroom through a window, damaging a fly screen in the process.
He stayed there for a short while before leaving and falling asleep outside the classroom.
Police later found Close-Neilson’s fingerprints on the window sill.
When questioned by police about the break and enter, Close-Neilson claimed he was too intoxicated to remember.
“I did hear that the school got broken into,” he said.
“I remember being up there when I was drunk with a relative and I woke up outside the economics classroom.
“I can’t honestly tell you what happened I was that drunk.”
During his Wednesday appearance, Close-Neilson’s solicitor Belinda Claire O’Dwyer said the crime was on the “lower end scale of offences”.
“He damaged a window there but nothing was taken,” she said.
She added he took the night as an incentive to stop drinking.
Magistrate Jeff Linden took into account Close-Neilson had not stolen anything from the school in his sentence.
He convicted Close-Neilson to a Community Correction Order for a period of 24 months, expiring on June 8 2023.
Close-Neilson is not to commit any offence while subject to the order and must appear before court if called upon.
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