The victims of $88k theft say they are ‘gutted’ by ‘lenient sentence’ given to crooked postie

A Wadeye community organisation say they are ‘gutted’ at what they believe was a ‘lenient sentence’ a crooked postie received after stealing $88k from the not-for-profit. Read the details.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA. NewsWire Photos. MAY 23, 2025. A generic photograph of an Australia Post Van Picture: NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell

The not-for-profit victims of a $88k theft have spoken out about what they say is a “lenient sentence” for the offender.

James Swinton Clifford, 73, was sentenced in July to 22 months home detention to be served at his Palmerston residence after he pleaded guilty to stealing $88,700 from Wadeye post office while serving as its general manager.

The court heard Clifford was “in it up to [his] eyeballs” in a $130k gambling debt, which he fuelled through 198 separate unlawful transactions over a period of 11 months between September 2021 and August 2022 using the post office’s eftpos machine.

James Swinton Clifford was sentenced for stealing $88k from Wadeye post office. Picture: Supplied

Judge Therese Austin described the punishment as “severe” and “not a slap on the wrist” in her sentencing remarks.

She said she considered Clifford’s guilty plea and history of no convictions when deciding on the penalty, and would have given him a harsher sentence, including jail time, had he not pleaded guilty.

The victims of the theft, Thamarrurr Development Corporation (TDC), say they are “gutted” and “outraged” by what they describe as a “lenient sentence”.

“As the licence holder of the Post Office at the time this crime was committed, Thamarrurr Development Corporation (TDC) is devastated by the leniency of the sentence handed down to James Clifford,” TDC acting chief executive Tracey Leo told NT News.

“The penalty is completely disproportionate to the gravity of the offence and does nothing to discourage and deter people serving in positions of trust from committing these serious crimes.

“This crime was not just theft — it was a profound breach of trust against our organisation and the community we serve.

“The stolen funds directly impacted TDC’s ability to provide vital services to our most vulnerable people.”

Ms Leo said the internal investigation “tied up” five TDC staff while the community was dealing with significant disruptions due to ongoing riots around Wadeye. 

“TDC is a not-for-profit Aboriginal controlled organisation,” she said.

“This crime diverted our critical financial and human resources away from serving our community.

Wadeye suffered significant community violence throughout 2022.

“We had five people tied up in this investigation at a time of significant disruption within the community, with 700 displaced people.

“We were delivering emergency food packages, tents and medicine while dealing with the theft.

“It’s very difficult operating businesses here in the best of times and it requires a high level of responsibility and trust.

“The level of [Clifford’s] deceit is phenomenal.

“We are appalled by the leniency of the sentence and will be seeking urgent legal advice to explore options for an appeal — I 100 per cent believe he should serve jail time.”

Originally published as The victims of $88k theft say they are ‘gutted’ by ‘lenient sentence’ given to crooked postie