Husband and wife stole almost $1400 of clothes and toys from Myer to “make their kids happy”
A man called a magistrate a “dog” after he and his wife were sentenced for stealing nearly $1400 of items from a department store to “make their kids happy”.
Police & Courts
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A Coast magistrate slammed a husband and wife for stealing more than $1000 worth of clothing and toys from Sunshine Plaza during a bold holiday "shopping" spree.
Kana Samuel Patrick, 31 and Bonnie Ann Robinson, 31, faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court together on Monday charged with stealing nearly $1400 worth of clothing and toys from Myer.
Police prosecutor Nick Nitschke said a Myer employee reviewing CCTV footage saw the couple and their children walking through the store on January 24.
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Sergeant Nitschke said Patrick could be seen concealing clothes and toys before leaving the department store without paying.
Shortly after Patrick left, Robinson could be seen holding items above her head to avoid theft detectors as she left the store.
Robinson and Patrick had each stolen $442 worth of clothing and toys, the court heard.
The next morning, police viewed the CCTV footage from Myer and Sunshine Plaza and were able to track the couple's movements through the centre to their car.
That afternoon Patrick returned to Myer, making off with nearly $500 worth of items.
Sgt Nitschke said an employee who recognised Patrick alerted police who were doing foot patrols of the centre and an officer stopped him in an undercover car park and identified him and his car from the CCTV.
Robinson was found waiting in their car but both declined to be interviewed about the thefts and were issued with notices to appear, the court heard.
After pleading guilty to two charges of stealing Patrick tried to back track, telling magistrate Matthew McLaughlin he had not even been at Sunshine Plaza on the day of the first offence.
He quickly admitted he was lying when Mr McLaughlin said if that was the case they could not go ahead with a sentence.
Patrick then said their motel bill had been more than he thought so he decided to steal from the department store.
Mr McLaughlin asked him how stealing more than a $1000 of clothes and toys would help with a motel bill, Patrick said it didn't but it "made the kids happy".
"It was stupid, I shouldn't have done it," he said.
Mr McLaughlin said Patrick had a "significant history as a thief."
"You have various dishonesty offences, stealing, shoplifting … and here you are taking your wife along, showing her the ropes.
"Then you come here and lie to my face, you say you weren't there … yet you were seen on CCTV.
"Then you admitted that was a lie, then you were lying about saying you had a problem with the motel bill, you were asked what that would do with the motel bill you said it just made your kids happy.
"You've come up for a 'shopping spree' from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast.
"It's greed on your part."
Mr McLaughlin said a jail sentence was the only appropriate sentence for Patrick.
"You've shown no remorse today, in my view," he said.
"You've lied to me."
He sentenced Patrick to two months in jail on each stealing charge, wholly suspended for two years.
Robinson pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing and was fined $300.
She was also ordered to pay $442.40 restitution.
"You obviously went along with (Patrick) … you took a bit over $400 worth," Mr McLaughlin said.
"It was quite bold of you holding the goods up over your head.
"I accept you're not normally a dishonest person, I suspect he was showing you the ropes."
No conviction was recorded against Robinson.
"F---, he's a dog," Patrick said about Mr McLaughlin as they left the courtroom.
Originally published as Husband and wife stole almost $1400 of clothes and toys from Myer to “make their kids happy”
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