Mother steals hundreds of games
A WOMAN who committed more than 40 offences of stealing and fraud in a year was caught out as she tried to push a trolley with thousands of dollars worth of goods out of a department store.
Rebecca Margaret Johnson's criminal enterprise came to an end when police caught her trying to steal a trolley full of stolen computer equipment, DVD players, cameras, clothing and other electrical goods from Big W.
The goods were worth about $2500 and were recovered by the store.
On February 10, police went to her Ipswich home and discovered the depth of Johnson's dishonesty.
Johnson, 32, spent between January 2011 and February 2012 stealing mainly video games from Target, Big W and K-mart and would pawn them.
All up she stole at least 515 video games and 63 other electrical items and profited $7290 from the fraud.
She pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates Court to 41 counts of stealing, fraud and possessing tainted property. She also pleaded guilty to entering premises with intent and attempted stealing.
Defence lawyer Yassar Khan said Johnson was a single mother-of-three who was struggling financially at the time.
Magistrate Virginia Sturgess said Johnson had embarked on a "significant criminal enterprise".
"It was prolonged and persistent with an enormous loss to the businesses you were targeting," Ms Sturgess said.
Johnson, who has no criminal history, was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to perform 200 hours community service during the next 12 months.
