Taylah Maree Callaghan-Watson pleads guilty to $370+ theft, drug and traffic crimes in Warwick court

The Warwick court heard the mother-of-four walked out of a major retailer with a trolley full of stolen items, only months before racking up a string of drug crimes.

A woman who walked out of a major retailer with stolen items worth almost $400 before racking up a spate of drug and traffic charges has faced the Warwick court.

Taylah Maree Callaghan-Watson and an unnamed co-accused went to Big W at Grand Central Shopping Centre in Toowoomba City on May 14, 2020.

The Warwick Magistrates Court heard the pair stacked their trolley with clothing and toys worth $376.55, then left the store without paying.

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa said officers caught up with Callaghan-Watson before she even left the centre, with the 24-year-old claiming the theft was an honest mistake.

“(She) stated she had a conversation with the co-accused about who was going to make the payment for the items in the trolley, and she said the co-accused was going to pay … so there was confusion about who was going to pay for the items, Your Honour,” Sergeant de Lissa said.

Callaghan-Watson ran into trouble again almost a year later on March 17, when police raided a Dragon Street home and found a 10mm vial of steroids and more than 200 tablets of unauthorised prescription drugs.

Sergeant de Lissa said the mother-of-four told police she’d been at the house the day before to get a tattoo from the occupant, and had a sunglasses case containing the restricted drugs with her at the time.

The Toowoomba woman was then nabbed driving without a licence four times between March 6 and June 27, and was again in possession of an unprescribed restricted drug on the final occasion.

Callaghan-Watson appeared in court with a criminal history including previous theft and dishonesty offences, with the most recent in 2019.

Defence lawyer Amber Acreman told the Warwick court her client was struggling with depression and anxiety at the time, leading to her first drug offences which were described as a “salient experience” for her.

Ms Acreman said Callaghan-Watson was now focused on rebuilding her relationship with her children aged between seven and four, along with finishing her tertiary studies.

Callaghan-Watson pleaded guilty to one count each of unauthorised dealing with shop goods, possessing dangerous drugs, unlawful possession of restricted drugs, and unlawful possession of controlled drugs.

She pleaded guilty to a further four counts of unlicensed driving.

She was fined $1400 and disqualified from driving for eight months.