Kial James Waldron in Bathurst Local Court for breaching AVO

Kial James Waldron of Stewart Street, Bathurst appeared by audio-visual link to Bathurst Local Court on May 17, 2023 to enter a plea of guilty to contravening an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO).

Court documents state police were driving in the Mitchell area around 10.30am on May 9, 2023 when they saw Waldron and the victim walking together along Stewart Street.

As Waldron and the victim continued to walk with their heads down, police stopped and asked where they were going.

During his conversation with police, Waldron said he and the victim had applied to vary an in place AVO, but police found the order was still active.

The court heard Waldron was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station where he declined to be interviewed about the incident.

Legal Aid solicitor Keith Kuan told the court during sentencing his client knew he was breaching the AVO at the time but had made attempts to legally speak with the woman.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson said while the offending did not cross the Section 5 threshold, she took a "disliking" to the conduct of the breach.

"It's all about the victim. If we say you can't contact her, that's what matters. It doesn't matter if she wants to contact you or change the AVO," Ms Atkinson said.

"You've got to do what we say because you're the one who is at risk of a jail sentence."

Waldron was placed on a community correction order for 12 months.

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