Drug habit drives single mum to new low

A mother of two has admitted to 19 offences, blaming a drug habit for her behaviour

Talitha Wraight pleaded guilty to a raft of charges, including stealing from a nursing home.

A COURT has heard a single mum stole from a nursing home in a bid to score enough money to buy drugs.

Talitha Wraight and a male co-offender walked into a Blue Care facility just before midnight and took two mobile phones and keys to a car, which they used to drive away from the scene.

Talitha Renee Wraight, 22, appeared at Ipswich Magistrates Court for sentence and pleaded guilty to 19 charges including entering premises to steal; 10 counts of stealing; three counts of unlawful use of stolen motor vehicles; receiving tainted property; fraud; and two counts of failing to properly dispose of needle/syringe.

Prosecutor Sergeant Rose Molinaro said the stealing charges involved fuel drive-offs.

She said the bulk of the offences were committed between April and October last year.

The three unlawful use charges involved a stolen BMW, a rental van, and a Toyota Corolla taken from the Blue Care facility.

 

Talitha Wraight pleaded guilty to a raft of charges, including stealing from a nursing home.

 

"A victim is the Blue Care retirement home in Eastern Heights," Sgt Molinaro said.

"An employee says persons entered on March 30 this year with a pass code and two Samsung phones and a silver Toyota Corolla was taken."

CCTV footage showed Wraight at the scene.

The phones were later sold to Cash Converters Ipswich, who reported it to police once they realised the phones had been stolen.

The business sought restitution of $160.

Wraight had also been the user of a stolen BMW when she did an $85.74 fuel drive-off at Haigslea on April 16.

The BMW went missing form Dutton Park while its owner was working away with Wraight later pictured driving it.

She failed to return a hire van on time, and when finally returned it had some damage.

"She still does not understand the meaning of complying with the law and had the audacity to enter a retirement home and steal phones and a car," Sgt Molinaro said.

Sgt Molinaro said the total amount of restitution sought for her offences was $2264.39.

Defence lawyer Katrina Hynes said a former boyfriend introduced Wraight to the drug ice and she continued to use until she fell pregnant with her first child.

Ms Hynes said another friend of Wraight's was a chronic heroin and meth user, but she stopped using drugs again when pregnant with her second child.

"She tells me she relapsed and that was the motivation for breaking into Blue Care. She took the phones to sell then get the money to get drugs," Ms Hynes said.

Magistrate Elizabeth Hall said Wraight's behaviour was "very much denounced by the community".

"It is so serious to go into Blue Care late at night and with someone," she said.

Ms Hall sentenced her to a 2 ½ year supervised probation order that would include urine tests and programs for illicit drug use.

She was disqualified from driving for nine months.

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