A man who trespassed in a retirement village, smashed an elderly resident’s car, and pretended to be an undercover police officer has been told to clean up his act.
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Owen Rolf Nixon, 54, faced Wagga Local Court for sentencing on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of entering enclosed land, damaging property, and impersonating an officer at the Riverina Gums Retirement Village.
A fifth charge of aggravated break and enter was withdrawn.
The court heard Nixon was high on drugs when he stumbled into the retirement village on July 18 and began banging on fences and telling the elderly residents “there is a man chasing me”.
One elderly resident looked outside after hearing a loud noise to see Nixon wielding a decorative concrete cat from his garden.
Nixon then smashed the cat repeatedly into the resident’s car in an attempt to gain entry to it, causing about $1000 damage in the process.
Police were called and a chase broke out; Nixon jumped a total of three fences in an attempt to evade them before he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed.
He then repeatedly told police he was an undercover Australian Federal Police officer on the job.
In court, magistrate Brian van Zuylen told Nixon his offending was “particularly serious”.
“What appalling behaviour by you, Mr Nixon – going into and threatening people in a retirement village all because you’re drug affected – you should be ashamed of yourself,” Mr van Zuylen said.
“This incident has caused incredible amounts of anxiety and stress … many of the residents have indicated to the police they no longer feel safe in their own retirement village.”
Nixon’s lawyer said he was very remorseful and planned to write an apology letter to the residents.
“You were sweaty, struggling to follow basic directions and clearly, it seems, drug affected,” Mr van Zuylen said.
“What about [repaying] the damage he caused to presumably elderly persons living in a retirement village instead of spending his money on drugs?”
Nixon was fined a total of $1500 and given a two-year supervised good behaviour bond with a stern warning from the magistrate.
“If you breach this bond by entering the Riverina Gums Retirement Village, you’ll be going to prison,” Mr van Zuylen said.
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