Mackay mum Monica Lou Lawton pleads guilty to 11 dishonesty offences

A Mackay mum claims she was in the grips of a terrible drug addiction when she committed her crime spree, violating the sanctity of people’s homes, cars and businesses.

Mackay mum Monica Lou Lawton pleads guilty to 11 dishonesty offences.

A Mackay mum with a horrendous criminal history has had even more jail time added to her tally after she was busted for her latest crime spree that involved break and enters and stolen cars.

For Monica Lou Lawton the courthouse is a revolving door where she has been slapped time and time again with terms of imprisonment totalling more than 18 years for her repeat criminal behaviour.

Mackay Magistrates Court her criminal rap sheet included 27 entries for stealing, 18 for burglary type offences and 13 for enter premises.

And she has now added another 11 entries after a recent crime spree committed between May and July 2024 across Mackay, that entering a woman’s LLoyds St home, stealing her handbag and phone and trying to take her car keys.

The court heard she also entered various business and stole items including almost $200 worth of makeup from a pharmacy where she also moved and consumed $550 worth of product, stealing property from cars, driving stolen cars and squatting in a West Mackay property.

“It would appear the orders that you have been subject to, haven’t worked,” Acting Magistrate Nigel Rees said.

“You are a recidivist offender.”

Lawton pleaded guilty to the 11 offences.

ATSILS solicitor Robyn Cathcart said her client told police “she had been heavily under the influence of drugs at the time and that was the reason she offended”.

Ms Cathcart said, and Mr Rees accepted, Lawton had been proactive in addressing her issues during her 67 days on remand including seeking assistance from the women’s centre and engaging in other services.

It was accepted Lawton was offending to fund her drug habit.

The court heard the 34 year old had been on parole when she committed the burglary and under law any new jail term had to be cumulative.

This complicated things, Mr Rees said, when police prosecution pushed for three years jail - the maximum term that can be handed down in the magistrates court.

Mr Rees agreed three years was warranted but Lawton was already serving a three-year jail term for earlier offending, which was set to end on May 7, 2026.

As such he jailed Lawton for another 22 months, cumulative to the earlier three year imprisonment sentence, with parole eligibility on June 26, 2025.