Elisha Gibson sentenced at Coffs Harbour court on larceny, goods in custody charges

A woman has been jailed and banned from a Coffs Harbour Coles supermarket after police found her handbag stuffed with pairs of scissors and other people’s bank cards.

Elisha Gibson placed cosmetics and body care products in her bag at Coles Coffs Harbour Dr store and walked out without paying for them despite being challenged by staff.

A woman has been jailed – but will be out for Christmas – after police searched her handbag and found it stuffed with gift cards and other people’s bank cards.

Elisha Gibson, 36, went to the Coffs Harbour Coles store on Harbour Dr on September 18 and placed a number of “cosmetics and body care products” into a bag, court documents state.

She walked out without paying, despite being challenged by staff.

Police spotted her walking along the Pacific Highway in Coffs four days later and she was arrested.

Advised she would be searched in custody, Gibson removed a pair of scissors from the pocket of her pants and said she carried it “for protection”.

Gibson said she often walks alone of a night and packs scissors as it helps her ‘self confidence’. File Picture

Officers then searched her handbag, finding three more pairs of scissors and a folding box cutter.

The West Kempsey woman told police she used the box cutter for her bike and the scissors were needed because “I always walk alone in the dark … I get scared … it’s for my own self-confidence”.

After taking cosmetics from a Coles Coffs Harbour store, police caught up with Gibson when they spotted her walking along the Pacific Highway. File picture

Also found in the handbag were three bank cards belonging to other people, and 10 gift cards for various amounts from retail outlets including Rebel, Supercheap Auto, EB Games, IGA and Woolworths.

Asked about the gift cards, Gibson said: “They’ve probably been stolen from somewhere and then I found them at the information centre ages ago.”

Gibson said the gift cards found in her handbag were “probably” stolen, but she’d found them a tourist information centre. File picture: David Geraghty

As for the bank cards, Gibson said: “They could be anyone’s, I carry a lot of s--t around that belongs to other people”.

At Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday, Gibson appeared via audio visual link from custody and pleaded guilty to larceny valued at less than $2000, custody of a knife in a public place – first offence and having goods in personal custody suspected being stolen.

Defence lawyer Katie Murphy said Gibson had been intoxicated at the time of the offending and was upset to have “missed (her) daughter’s Year 12 formal”.

Ms Murphy told the court her client had been a victim of domestic violence, lived with a number of significant mental health issues and acted “under the influence of peers”.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton said Gibson had been on an intensive correction order at the time of offending.

Gibson was jailed for seven months with a non-parole period of three months.

She will be eligible for parole on December 21.

Gibson has been banned from the Harbour Dr Coles store.