Warwick Magistrates Court: Thieves convicted of stealing offences in court

From a Warwick woman who stole straight from the register of her work, to heist of 27 cans of dog food, here are some of the people sentenced for stealing offences in Warwick court.

The following people faced Warwick Magistrates Court on Monday December 12, 2022, had had their matters dealt with:

• Neva-May Joyce Ives pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing after the 35-year-old mother of seven was caught stealing large quantities of food one two separate occasions in November.

On November 2, Ives was picked up on camera stealing $158 worth of honey and gift packs from an unattended stall, Warwick Magistrates Court was told.

Neva-May Joyce Ives faced court on Monday

About a week later on November 10, Ives was caught again on CCTV stealing 27 cans of dog food out of a trolley left outside a store, before loading them into her car and taking off.

The court was told that Ives told police she “thought the items were unattended”.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess revealed to the court that Ives had prior convictions for forgery in 2011.

“Taking one jar of honey to feed your children is different to taking three gift packs valued at $150, that’s just being greedy, similarly 27 cans of dog food, is greedy,” Ms Sturgess said.

“You don’t know who you’re stealing from or what sort of financial difficulties they might be in, or how many children they need to feed.”

Ives was sentenced to a nine month probation order and ordered to pay the $158 back to the honey stall owner.

Convictions were recorded.

• A 27-year-old woman, who stole out of the register from her workplace on two separate occasions, pinched $400 because she was stressed by her living situation.

Lisa Leanne Stokes pleaded guilty to one count of stealing by clerks and servants.

The court was told Stokes had stolen $400 in two instalments over two days between September 1 and 2 from the service station she worked at.

Lisa Leanne Stokes appeared in Warwick Magistrates Court on Monday

Defence lawyer Sarah Campbell told the court Stokes was stressed by living situation and the nature of the work.

“The offending is out of character for her,” Ms Campbell said.

It was revealed Stokes had a method of taking from the register and hiding the cash under a cloth.

CCTV caught Stokes in the act and she was quickly reported to the police.

Ms Sturgess told the court that stealing that amount might not sound like a lot of money, but for a small business it was “well and truly noticed”.

“When you’re employed by someone, it’s a breach of trust and can lead to imprisonment, it’s serious,” Ms Sturgess said.

Stokes was sentenced to a restitution order to pay back the $400 to the servo, and received a 12 month probation order.

No convictions were recorded.

• A groundskeeper’s compulsive spree of stealing small items landed him in court.

Peter James Staib pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing after the 68-year-old went on a three day beverage stealing spree, taking a 600ml drink out from Big W each day over the course of November 9-11.

The total cost of the items was $10.95.

Defence lawyer Sarah Campbell described the actions as “out of character”.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess revealed Staib had a “sporadic offending history over decades” that dated back to 1975.

The charges, sometimes with decades between them, ranged from break and enter offences, stealing and even fraud.

“You simply cannot steal,” Ms Sturgess told him bluntly.

“You need to control yourself.”

Staib was ordered to pay a $400 fine and repay the cost of the stolen goods. No convictions were recorded.