Condoms, crystals, inflatable dolls: Strangest items stolen by Queensland thieves in 2023
Forget cars and jewellery, shoplifters have upgraded their ways. Take a look at the weird, wacky items stolen in 2023 and the strange reasons behind them. FULL LIST
Police & Courts
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New research has shown almost one in five Aussies have stolen everyday items in the past 12 months as the cost of living crisis worsens nationwide.
The ‘nationally representative’ survey by Finder found 19 per cent of the 1010 respondents admitted to stealing items such as groceries or driving off at the petrol station without paying.
And Queensland tops the list for overall crime rates, with a separate report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the Sunshine State had a 15 per cent increase in crime victims in the past year with almost 200,000 victims in 2022.
Queensland also marked the highest number of victims of robbery, unlawful entry and other thefts nationwide in 2022, totalling 176,250 victims.
While groceries, petrol and cars are being nicked regularly, there are other, more niche possessions being taken by thieves across the state.
Take a look at some of the strangest items stolen in Queensland in 2023, from $7.99 Passion Pop to $200 sex toys.
CONVICTIONS RECORDED
STRIPLIGHTS HIDDEN DOWN PANTS
A Bunnings shoplifter appeared before Mackay Magistrates Court on July 7, after stealing a strip of LED lights by placing them down his pants with the help of another man.
When asked by police why he had stolen the $121 box of lights on May 12, Scott James Rice said “I can’t say, but there’d be a reason” after getting caught with the Bunnings item on CCTV.
On an address to the court on June 5, Price admitted to theft and was later fined $300 and forced to pay $121 restitution to the Bunnings store.
Convictions were recorded.
CONVICTED FOR STEALING PASSION POP
A Gladstone mother of six was convicted after pleading guilty to stealing a $7.99 bottle of wine from a local hotel in February.
Alexia Bailey, 37, appeared before Gladstone Magistrates Court on May 30, after stealing a bottle of Passion Pop from Young Australian Hotel at Gladstone Central on February 20, putting the alcoholic beverage in her handbag without paying.
The court heard that Bailey had an 11-page criminal history, including suspended sentences at the time of the crime, with her solicitor stating that she had struggled with alcohol and drug abuse since the age of 13, but had been sober now “for a couple of months”.
Bailey was fined $300, ordered to pay the $7.99 restitution for the Passion Pop and did not have her suspended sentences activated, but instead, had the operational period extended by three months.
A conviction was recorded.
FISHING GEAR FOR LOVE
33-year-old Southside hairdresser Amy Leigh Foster appeared before Gympie Magistrate’s Court on July 20 to plead guilty after stealing fishing gear from Noosa BCF for a man she met online.
The mother, who was on parole and a suspended sentence at the time of offending, used a pram to conceal $109.90 of fishing gear on February 15, stolen for a person she met on a dating app.
Foster’s suspended sentence was from previously having stolen a wallet from Gympie Jockey Club in August, 2021.
With 16 dishonesty offences on her history, Acting Magistrate Raelene Ellis said she did not agree that “an actual term of imprisonment would be manifestly excessive” before telling Foster “next time bring your toothbrush”.
Foster was sentenced to an intensive corrections order for three months.
CIGARETTE BUTTS AND MEDICATION
A Central Queensland woman, Melissa Anne Norris, 46, faced Biloela Magistrates Court on February 8 for two unusual stealing charges.
Norris pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing, illegally administering a controlled drug to someone, two counts of failing to surrender into custody and failing to appear in court.
The Moura-based woman’s first stealing charge involved attending a man’s residence and taking a beer bottle which contained cigarette butts on September 6, 2021.
When asked by police, Norris said she knew she shouldn’t have stolen the property.
Her second stealing charge involved stealing a woman’s restricted medication, with the illegal administering a controlled drug charge related to giving a woman valium when she was not authorised to do so.
Norris was placed on six months’ probation and had convictions recorded.
OAR THIEF ADMITS CRIME WAS ‘SILLY’
A magistrate questioned a 56-year-old when he appeared before Ingham Magistrates Court on February 28 for stealing a single oar, asking “Why one? So you could paddle around in circles?”.
In response to Magistrate Ross Mack’s questioning, Peter Andrew Sawkins replied “It was just silly eh” after pleading guilty to the single charge of stealing a boat oar from a Trebonne property on November 13.
The incident, which was captured on CCTV, shows the father of two driving his vehicle into a yard, parking next to a dingy and taking the oar.
The offence occurred during an operational period of a pre-existing suspended sentence which required Sawkins to make an appearance at a Townsville District Court sitting in April for separate charges that were not mentioned in the court.
For the stealing charge, Sawkins was fined $500.
A conviction was recorded.
FROZEN CHIPS AND WAFFLE CONES
A 31-year-old unemployed tradie appeared before Gladstone Magistrates Court on September 27 for a series of charges, including two uncommon stealing charges.
Cody Russell Tauwhare pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of stealing, and possessing property suspected used in a drug offence after being caught with cannabis twice in January and busted with methamphetamine in February.
The court heard that on February 6, Tauwhare was caught stealing frozen potato chips from a freezer at Tannum Beach Fish and Chips, as well as waffle cones from the Truffle Pig, also in Tannum Sands.
Tauwhare, who has a nine-page criminal history, was not working at the time of the offence after previously working as an electrical trades assistant in 2019 before suffering from a drug addiction.
He was ordered to perform 80 hours of unpaid community service with convictions recorded.
MIRROR, MIRROR, TAKEN OFF THE WALLS
A South Burnett man who stole three mirrors from a public toilet told the magistrate that “upon reflection it was a pretty stupid thing to do” when he faced Kingaroy Magistrates Court on May 18.
Istvan Nyitrai, 48, pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing after taking mirrors from the walls of the council-owned female bathrooms at Barambah Bush Caravan Park on April 23.
The court heard that Nyitrai removed a mirror from the disabled cubicle and two more mirrors, using a drill, before putting the mirrors in his vehicle and taking them home with his partner.
Nyitrai was fined $350 and ordered to pay $404 to South Burnett Regional Council.
Convictions were recorded.
WOMAN STEALS ‘MAGIC’ CRYSTAL
A Noosa dish hand appeared before Noosa Magistrates Court on April 18, after stealing a pricey crystal from a metaphysical supply store.
Renee Annette Cowling, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of stealing, after CCTV footage captured her entering the Symbolic Journey store in Noosa Heads on February 18 and placing a $118 rose quartz crystal into her handbag.
A search warrant of Cowling’s home on March 20 did not uncover the crystal, with Magistrate Hayden Stjernqvist stating in reference to the crystal, “we don’t know where it’s working it’s magic now, because the restitution has been sought”.
The court also heard that Cowling had previous significant criminal history for drug related offences and had just come off an 18-month probation period.
She was sentenced to four months prison, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay $118 restitution.
A conviction was recorded.
WOMAN STEALS SUSHI AND MAKEUP
A 41-year-old Roma woman, who was unmediated while she stole makeup and sushi from a Toowoomba Woolworths, said that she “can’t understand why she took the sushi” as she “doesn’t even like it or eat it”.
Naomi Leigh Welk pleaded guilty to one count of stealing at Roma Magistrates Court on June 8, 2023 after she was spotted pocketing makeup and sushi from Drayton Woolworths on February 19 by a staff member.
Welk told police she couldn’t remember her whereabouts on the day of the offending and said “when she is unmediated she cannot remember what goes on”.
Acting Magistrate Michael Bice told the court that Welk’s record was “shocking”, with 13 separate offences of dishonesty and at least half of them being stealing charges.
Welk was given a 50 hour community service order, to be completed within 12 months.
A conviction was recorded.
NO CONVICTIONS RECORDED
HORSES STOLEN, SOLD TO ABATTOIR
A Warwick man appeared before Warwick Magistrates Court on May 19 after stealing four horses and selling them to an abattoir.
54-year-old Walter George Fuller stole the four horses from a Southern Downs property throughout June 2022, with CCTV footage capturing another person unloading the horses off the back of a truck.
The owner of the property discovered 20 of their horses were missing and reported the incident to police.
Fuller was only responsible for four of the horses, despite others being missing, and sold the four horses for $1250 to a slaughterhouse on July 19, 2022.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of stealing animals that is stock and one count of fraud and was fined $1250.
No convictions were recorded.
CCTV CAPTURES TATTOOED CONDOM THIEF
A Gold Coast-based man appeared before Gladstone Magistrates Court on July 17 after an unusual offence that his solicitor described as “makes no sense to anybody, including my client”.
The court heard on May 29, that Tane James Martin, a 25-year-old fly-in, fly-out rigger was working at Gladstone when he went into Clinton Chemist Warehouse and took a pair of sunglasses and removed eight of 10 condoms from a box, putting them in his pocket.
His stealing was captured on CCTV and he was identified by members of the public after police released his image on social media, showing his distinctive tattoos.
The court heard that Martin had no criminal history and had already paid the business for the items he had stolen.
He was fined $250 with no conviction recorded.
MAN DRESSES AS WORKER TO STEAL PLAYSTATION
An Ipswich tradie was charged after stealing two gaming consoles on two separate occasions in an elaborate plan where he dressed as an employee of a game shop.
21-year-old Kennedy Rubanga Stone from Redbank Plains pleaded guilty to two counts of entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, two counts of fraud, and driving without a licence when he appeared before Ipswich Magistrate’s Court on August 25, 2023.
The court heard that Stone dressed up as an EB Games employee at the Eagle Farm store on two occasions on November 1 and November 18, first stealing an Xbox, then a PlayStation.
Stone told the court he was ashamed of his actions and was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid community service to be completed within nine months and ordered to pay restitution for the Xbox and PlayStation.
His licence was also suspended for six months and he was fined $450.
No convictions were recorded.
STILL ON THE LOOSE
FIVE PYTHONS STOLEN ON GOLD COAST
Gold Coast police issued a call-out for information on September 19 after five pythons were stolen from a home in Southport.
Two of the pythons were dark olive green and around three metres long while the other three ‘Bredli’ pythons were about 1.8m to 2m long.
The five slithery creatures were stolen between September 9 and September 10 on a Cotlew St property after a rear sliding door was forced open.
X-RATED ITEMS STOLEN FROM SEX STORE
A Gold Coast man was caught on CCTV after stealing an inflatable doll and other X-rated items from a Mermaid Beach sex store on May 15.
A call-out was put out by the store to try and catch the thief who left the store with the stolen doll and personal sexual devices without making any attempt to pay for the items.
And this was not the first instance of X-rated robberies in Queensland.
Love Heart adult store in Toowoomba had two separate instances of theft in early 2023, with two men stealing dildos from the small business.
The first occurred in January 21 when a worker arrived to the store to see one of the larger items on a display was gone, captured on CCTV showing a man putting the $200 item down his pants before leaving the store.
A few months later, another man stole an eight-inch dildo on Easter Sunday, setting off a security alarm and leaving after refusing to remove the concealed item from his person.
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