AN 87-YEAR-OLD Leeton shire man has been placed on a six-month good behaviour bond after starting fire during a total fire ban earlier this year.
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Keith Frederick Hopwood, 87, was charged with lighting a fire during a total fire ban on January 5 after lighting some rubbish in a bin at his home that he said then "got away" from the confines of the area.
As a result, 300sqm of land was burned and emergency services were required to extinguish the blaze.
Hopwood told the court he was unaware of the total fire ban.
Magistrate M Moody took into account what she said were exceptional circumstances surrounding the incident.
These included Hopwood's unblemished criminal record, having not recorded a single offence during his 87 years, as well as his age.
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She told the court she did have to hand down a sentence to Hopwood for the crime otherwise it would send the wrong message to the community.
However, she did not issue a conviction, so Hopwood's record does remain clean.
"These are exceptionally unusual circumstances," Ms Moody said.
"It could have been much worse.
"It was a silly mistake. You would have seen the news at this time, (but) it didn't occur to you it was a total fire ban."
Lighting a fire during a total fire ban can incur large fines and, in serious cases, a prison term.
