Albany woman who climbed onto police station roof because she wanted to see brother gets community based order

An Albany woman has been given a six-month community based order for trespassing on the roof of the Albany police station because she wanted to see her brother who she thought was inside, but was actually in prison. Nikaya Therese Knapp, 23, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court last Thursday and pleaded guilty to one charge of trespass. Police prosecutor Sgt Matt Hartfield told the court police found Knapp on the roof of the Albany police station about 1am on April 15 in a “highly intoxicated” state. Knapp had reached the roof after climbing into the rear car park of the Albany Justice Complex and scaling a carport. She told police she was on the roof because she wanted to see her brother, who she thought was inside the station. Sgt Hartfield told the court Knapp’s brother was in Albany Regional Prison when she was on the roof, but he had been held in the police station the night before. Defence lawyer Raymond Muir told the court Knapp had gone into the Albany CBD and consumed alcohol on the night of April 14. Mr Muir said he did not think Knapp had “thought about the consequences” when she climbed onto the roof of the police station. Speaking in the courtroom, Knapp said she was “quite pissed off at the police” which led her to climb onto the roof. Magistrate Richard Huston said Knapp’s actions were “incredibly risky” and it was a serious incident of trespass. Mr Huston said the building’s age meant Knapp could have fallen through the roof. He described her decision-making on the night of the trespass as “terrible”. “(You are) just making bad decisions, really bad decisions, that expose you and others to risk,” he said. Knapp was sentenced to a six-month community-based order.