Ipswich grandma Janelle Robinson’s “never-ending” crime spree landed her in court with 31 charges

An Ipswich grandmother has been given parole after a two-year crime spree.

A two-year crime spree has ended in court for 53 year old Janelle Esther Robinson.

Mother to eight and grandmother to four, Robinson pleaded guilty to 31 charges on Tuesday Ipswich Magistrates Court.

The offences, some committed “just about every month” between December 2019 and November 2021 included four counts of stealing, three counts of trespassing, three counts of public nuisance, two counts of possessing a knife in public and multiple drug-related charges.

The court heard Robinson had a history of similar offences, which the police prosecutor said demonstrated “consistent course of conduct, unstopped by any penalty that the court imposes”.

However, Robinson’s defence lawyer attributed much of her criminal history to her “disadvantaged” background.

Ipswich woman Janelle Esther Robinson.

Robinson lived large portions of her life on the streets and has been in relationships with a number of “unreliable” men.

Many of her partners were drug users, and one died as a result of a heroin overdose.

Robinson has struggled to provide for her eight children and four grandchildren – one of which suffers from cystic fibrosis.

She was living on the streets at the time of most of her offences, but now resides with friends.

Her defence lawyer said she had “made considerable improvements” as she has not committed any new offences during the last three-and-a-half months.

Robinson has further sought out counselling for her mental health, and enrolled in the Court Link program, the court heard.

“The process to bring herself completely on track is not something that’s going to happen overnight,” said Robinson’s defence lawyer.

Magistrate David Shepherd acknowledged Robinson’s appearance as “an unfortunate and quite frankly depressing continuation of [her] history”.

“With some effort, your life could be a whole lot better, but that effort has to be yours,” he continued, addressing Robinson directly.

Robinson received a head sentence of six months imprisonment and was released on parole immediately.

She was further ordered to surrender items of contraband and pay restitution of $85 for stealing a purse on January 20 2021.