Warwick Nathan Allan Milligan, 36, of Havannah Street in Bathurst, appeared before magistrate Michael Allen on Monday.

Police facts tendered to the court told how Milligan entered the grounds of St Stanislaus’ College on May 24 this year, walked up to the library and picked up a bag from the ground. 

He was walking through the school grounds when he was approached by a school supervisor.

“It looks like you’ve got school bags there,” the supervisor said to him, but Milligan said they were his and left the school grounds via Havannah Street.

The supervisor contacted police with a description of Milligan and police patrolled the area and stopped Milligan in Rocket Street. 

However, when they searched him, he was only carrying one bag, a black Nike sports bag.

As police couldn’t confirm the bag had been stolen from the school, they took Milligan’s details and left. 

They made further inquiries and found Milligan had been seen walking out of the grounds of St Barnabas’ Church. Police attended the location and recovered the stolen Stannies school bag.

Police attended Milligan’s home and he was asked to retrieve the black sports bag. He did and it was searched by police, who found a school textbook in it which had the same name on it as the the owner of the school bag.

Milligan made admissions to the theft and entering the school grounds. He was subsequently charged with larceny, entering prescribed premises without lawful excuse and goods in custody suspected of being stolen.

On the larceny charge, Milligan was fined $200, and Mr Allen ordered the property be returned to its owner.

The enter inclosed lands matter was dealt with under Section 10A and the goods in custody charge was dealt with by way of a $200 fine.