A Ballina man already behind bars has had his time in custody extended — but only by a matter of weeks — after being sentenced over a knife offence.

Clay Widdows, 32, will remain behind bars after being hit with a further two-month sentence following his arrest on January 17, when bail was refused.

His total time in custody will reach four months and three weeks.

Knife offence lands him back inside

Judge Kathy Crittenden handed down sentence in Ballina Local Court on April 16, dealing with a string of drug, unlawful entry and knife-related matters.

Widdows was convicted with no further penalty on one 2025 drug possession charge.

On a second, he was placed on a 12-month community correction order, with strict supervision, drug rehabilitation conditions and a requirement to report within seven days of release.

He was also convicted, without further penalty, over unlawful entry and another drug possession matter from 2026.

But it was the knife offence — a subsequent charge of carrying a knife in a public place — that saw his jail time extended.

He was sentenced to a further two months behind bars, backdated to April 8, with release set for June 7.

Ballina father Dean Turner told Ballina Crime Reports Facebook page he pursued and photographed a man fitting Widdows description in January 2026, after his son’s bike was allegedly stolen in the Ferngrove Estate.  He recovered the bike himself and informed police. (Photo:Dean Turner/Ballina Crime Reports)

Main Photo : Clay Widdows /Facebook

Serious charge dropped

A more serious charge of being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence was dismissed and withdrawn.

In another drug matter, Widdows was again convicted with no further penalty.

Trouble stretches back years

The latest sentence adds to a long-running history before the courts.

In 2019, Widdows was already facing drug, knife and suspected stolen goods charges in Ballina Local Court when police allegedly caught him bringing more prohibited items into the courthouse itself.

Those items included additional knives, drugs and a Taser-like device disguised as a torch.

He was later fined over those offences, while duplicate charges were dealt with without further penalty, according to News Corp.

Court records show an arrest warrant was later issued after he breached a community correction order tied to that case.

The matters were finalised in Lismore Local Court on June 1, 2020, where he received multiple 12-month prison terms for drug and weapon offences — served in the community under intensive correction orders.

What happens next

Widdows is due for release on June 7.

He will then report to Community Corrections to begin serving a 12-month community correction order.

Editor’s Note: As of March 28 NSW Local Court Magistrates are now known as Judges.