Serial thief Imelda Doig gets jail warning in Yeppoon court

A young mother caught stealing has been put under the blowtorch by a magistrate who gave her a jail warning.

Serial thief Imelda Marie Doig has been given a jail warning in Yeppoon court. Generic image.

A Yeppoon repeat thief and young mother has been told to stop offending or she will end up in jail.

Imelda Marie Doig, 20, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on April 13 to stealing.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said about 6.10pm on March 9, Doig entered the Big W store at Yeppoon Central.

Sgt Ongheen said Doig selected baby clothes, bras, women’s shoes and other small items and placed them into a basket.

The prosecutor said Doig then walked to the small appliances aisle where she removed “a number of items” from the basket and put them into her bag.

Sgt Ongheen said Doig left the remaining items on a shelf in the aisle.

The court heard Doig entered a self-service checkout and paid for a packet of baby wipes.

It was there that Doig was approached by staff who asked to look in her bag, but she refused and walked out of the store, the court was told.

Sgt Ongheen said when police went to speak with Doig at her residence, she told officers that she had anxiety, PTSD, she was “very stressed” and she did not mean to steal the items.

Sgt Ongheen said Doig told officers she would return to Big W the following day and pay for the items she had taken, but she did not do that.

She was subsequently charged.

In court, the prosecution sought restitution of $100.

A self-represented Doig told Magistrate Grace Kahlert she was a mother and: “I won’t be doing it again... I feel really bad for it.”

Doig said she would pay the money back.

Ms Kahlert noted that in July last year, Doig had “similar charges” and the magistrate asked if she had paid back the $100 in relation to that offending.

Doig responded: “No, I forgot about that...”

Doig again emphasised she would not be stealing again, and Ms Kahlert said considering this was her third offence of this sort, why should she believe that.

Doig said: “I’ve changed... and I don’t want to be a criminal - I want to be a good mother.”

Ms Kahlert told Doig that she should be ashamed of her offending and if she continued to steal, she would end up going to jail.

Ms Kahlert fined Doig $300 and ordered she pay $100 restitution.

No conviction was recorded.