Bandit’s trail of defecation

A DISGUSTING thief has been jailed after breaking into a young mother’s home and entering her bedroom where she was sleeping with her two young children.

Sean Troy Clancy pleaded guilty to 24 charges including entering a dwelling at night with intent and a string of stealing offences when he faced Townsville Magistrates Court.

The 23- year- old broke into a North Ward home on April 16, 2017, and defecated on the floor before the woman realised he was in her house.

“There was a mother there sleeping in her bedroom with two very young children, one was only eight weeks old, one was a two- year- old,” Magistrate Suzie Warrington said.

“To see you walk into her bedroom, into the privacy of her own home instilled dear in her and it probably still affects her to this day – it’s a very serious offence. The fact that you defecated on the floor is just a disgusting act and such a breach of someone’s privacy and intrusion into their home.”

Clancy’s solicitor Ralph Lake said the experience would have been traumatic for the victims and attributed much of his client’s offending to his own traumatic past.

Mr Lake said Clancy had lost his mother to suicide four years ago, which the 23- yearold had struggled with ever since. The court heard Clancy had also stolen from local bot- tle shops and supermarkets, taking small items such as toothbrushes, pet food and flavoured milk.

Ms Warrington said the offending was relatively low level but noted the repeated nature was concerning.

Ms Warrington took into account Clancy’s relatively limited criminal history as well as his timely pleas of guilty when sentencing him to 12 months’ imprisonment to be suspended after two months.

If he reoffends within 12 months after release he risks being returned to prison for the rest of his sentence.

Clancy was already in custody when he was sentenced and, taking into account time already served, will be released on November 19.