Rose Marion Turnbull: Grandmother fronts Chinchilla court for ‘strange’ shop steal

‘A cry for help:’ Here’s what happened in court after a Chinchilla pensioner was busted stealing a bunch of ‘unglamorous’ items from a local business.

Chinchilla grandmother Rose Marion Turnbull caught stealing from Mitre 10. Picture: Supplied

A court has heard a Chinchilla grandmother’s loss of independence due to illness sent her spiralling into a life of petty crime.

Rose Marion Turnbull was caught on CCTV stealing picture-hanging hooks and related items from Mitre 10 on July 16.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins told Chinchilla Magistrates Court the 75-year-old’s thefts were “strange” and “unglamorous” offences.

“They’re not exactly the usual items one steals... like lipstick,” Sergeant Hutchins said.

“It’s strange and out of character.”

Defence lawyer Michael Corbin said the actions of the elderly woman were a subconscious ‘cry for help’.

Mr Corbin said the crime was unusual for Turnbull, who had been increasingly frustrated about needing her family to care for her and having to use a walker to assist with mobility.

“She said she can’t explain why she did it,” he said.

Magistrate Kerri O’Callaghan said it was the third stealing offence in the elderly woman’s criminal history but noted it was a minor offence.

Turnbull pleaded guilty to one count of stealing and was fined $150.

The grandmother was also ordered to pay $42.40 in restitution.