A Ballina man jailed for six offences had previously remained free despite two breaches of his bail conditions.
A Ballina repeat offender has been sentenced to prison for six offences, bringing months of bail hearings to an end.
Christopher Bennett, 42, appeared by video from custody before Judge K Crittenden at Ballina Local Court on Friday.
Bail had allowed Bennett to remain free while his cases went through court, on conditions that included reporting to police and restrictions on drug and alcohol use.
In June, the Bail Division found he had broken both conditions, but Judge L Viney continued his bail.
Another breach later that month brought a formal warning, although he was again allowed to remain free.
Police laid four fresh charges on July 14. Two followed a neighbour’s report of intimidation and broken pots.
At Bennett’s next appearance, Judge L Robinson found a third bail breach and refused to release him.
Judge Robinson said the individual allegations were not among the most serious of their kind.
Her concern was “the repetition of offending over a lengthy period of time”.
Ballina man jailed for six offences
Bennett has remained in custody since July.
On Friday, Judge Crittenden imposed a 10-month prison sentence for six offences dealt with together.
They include property damage and stalking or intimidation in the case involving his neighbour, along with deception, larceny, shoplifting and having goods in his custody suspected of being stolen.
The court also revoked community correction orders linked to Bennett’s earlier convictions for stalking or intimidation, larceny and carrying a knife visibly in public in a way that caused fear.
No additional penalty was imposed for those offences.
He was separately fined $400 for breaching an apprehended violence order, while several other offences resulted in convictions with no further penalty.
His prison term began on July 15, 2026, and expires on May 14, 2027.
The court ordered his release on parole on January 14, 2027, after a six-month non-parole period.