Craig Charles Pym pleads guilty to stealing designer perfume from Chemist Warehouse

While a court heard his girlfriend spoke to a shop attendant, an itinerant worker pocketed a $449 bottle of designer perfume from a secure cabinet and walked out of the store with it concealed in his pants.

Craig Pym stole a $449 bottle of Tom Ford perfume from Chemist Warehouse while his girlfriend distracted the shop assistant.

While a man’s girlfriend spoke to a young Chemist Warehouse shop attendant, he stole a $449 bottle of designer perfume from a secure cabinet.

Craig Charles Pym pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Vicki Kennedy-Grills told the court Pym and his girlfriend went to the Chemist Warehouse on Bourbong St around 4pm on October 13, where CCTV footage showed them perusing various items in the store before moving to the perfume section.

The court heard the couple asked for the assistance of a young staff member to open a locked cabinet containing expensive perfumes.

While the court heard Pym’s girlfriend spoke to the staff member about items on the bottom shelf, Pym reached into the cabinet and took a bottle of Tom Ford perfume from the upper shelves.

Pym stole a bottle of Tom Ford perfume from the top shelf of the security cabinet, retailing at $449.

The court heard Pym put the bottle of perfume, retailing at $449, into his shorts and walked out of the store, with his girlfriend following soon afterwards.

The couple then got into a car and drove away, with the car registration later provided to police by Chemist Warehouse staff.

They were located by police a few days later, with Pym making a full admission to stealing the perfume although his girlfriend denied any knowledge of the incident.

She was not charged over the incident and there is no suggestion her conduct was criminal.

Pym’s Legal Aid defence barrister told the court his client had been receiving the disability support pension due to a spinal injury caused by a workplace accident more than 10 years ago.

Prior to this incident, Pym had suffered head injuries from two major car crashes and had been the victim of an assault in 2006.

Pym walked out of Chemist Warehouse Bundaberg with the $449 bottle of perfume in his pants, closely followed by his girlfriend.

In sentencing Magistrate John McInnes took into account Pym’s health issues, lack of dishonesty offences on his criminal record and the fact that the theft involved Pym trying to obtain some perfume for his partner.

“Clearly this was an out of character offence and you wanted to obtain something nice for your girlfriend,” Mr McInnes said.

Pym was ordered to pay $449 compensation to Chemist Warehouse, and placed on a $500 good behaviour bond for nine months.

No conviction was recorded.