Geoffrey Noel MacNicol: Great Southern primary school principal sentenced for ‘predatory’ indecent assault

A school principal and army veteran who admitted to the “predatory” indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl has avoided jail time. Geoffrey Noel MacNicol — the former headmaster of a Great Southern primary school — was sentenced to a 12-month suspended imprisonment term in Perth Magistrates Court in December, The West Australian can reveal. The 59-year-old had pleaded guilty to indecent assault after striking a plea deal, having previously faced two charges. Magistrate Lynette Dias said the offending, which took place in January 2025 during the summer holidays, involved a “breach of trust” and a “disparity of strength.” “It was predatory and it was exploitative,” she said. Court documents show the crime occurred in the northern suburb of Jindalee. The police prosecutor said it involved MacNicol entering the bed of the young victim while he was “inebriated”. Afterwards, he left the room without “saying anything”. Mr MacNicol’s lawyer Andrew Tehan told the court that his client accepted “it would have been a terrifying experience for her”. “He is genuinely remorseful for his offending,” Mr Tehan said. Ms Dias ordered Mr MacNicol serve the suspended term in the community and warned that if he offended again, he would be thrown behind bars. He will have to attend rehabilitative programs and meet reporting obligations. Mr MacNicol did not respond to questions outside court. Mr Tehan said his client served as a military policemen and crime scene photographer who was deployed to scenes of “mass killings,” including in East Timor. His lawyer said he had seen the “worst of the worst”, which left him with post-traumatic stress disorder. After being arrested, Mr MacNicol — who was also previously a high school deputy principal — spent less than two weeks in jail before he was granted bail. The court was told of his marriage breakdown and how he was treated at Armadale Hospital after the offending as he was declared a suicide risk. He also self-admitted to Hollywood Hospital to address his mental health. “If he was sent to jail immediately, he’d really be going backwards,” Mr Tehan told the magistrate. Ms Dias said a psychiatric report that detailed his ongoing treatment showed a “causal connection” between his “mental struggles and the offending”. A term one school letter told parents of children at the primary school that a retired principal was temporarily replacing Mr MacNicol because the former headmaster was “unable to continue in the position” due to “confidential reasons”. Education Department director general Jay Peckitt previously told The West that the case “involves a matter” that led to Mr MacNicol’s registration being cancelled by the Teacher Registration Board of WA. Lifeline: 13 11 14