Geraldton man Clinton Leigh Nicholson hit with extra jail for burglary at bar the day after cyclone Seroja

A Geraldton man who is already behind bars has been slapped with more jail time for stealing $1500-plus of gourmet food and spirits from a local business the day after cyclone Seroja. Clinton Leigh Nicholson, 40, appeared in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to burglary and stealing charges. Prosecutor Acting Sgt Dean Solman told the court Nicholson had “taken advantage of the town being affected by the cyclone” when he gained access to the Old Man and the Sea rooftop bar at The Gerald Hotel using a rock hammer about 3pm on April 12. He also smashed a glass door during the break-in. Nicholson was about 10 weeks into a pre-sentence order at the time of the offence, in which he carried out bags, an esky and a bucket full of spirits, brie cheese, ham, scallops and other food items from the rooftop bar. Nicholson’s lawyer Karen Ward said the man had been homeless at the time — taking shelter in an empty shed during the cyclone — and had not eaten for days, with power outages meaning he could not access money in his account to buy food. Ms Ward said Nicholson recognised his offending occurred “at a time when more people were coming together to help each other”, and he hoped to pay the business owner the cost of damages. Nicholson told Ms Ward he felt like he had “split into two different people” during the burglary, with one voice telling him to “get out of there”, while the other spurred on his actions. Ms Ward said Nicholson “was no stranger to the law” but the break-in had been out of character. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell described the offending as “very calculated” and “opportunistic” during a time when the community was “vulnerable”. Nicholson was sentenced to eight months jail cumulative to his existing eight-month sentence, and made eligible for parole.