Dalby mum steals ’to feel something’, narrowly misses jail

A mum of two openly sobbed while she was escorted into the docks as she was faced with the confronting reality that she may be going to jail

JASMINE Monique Hinds, 23, openly sobbed while she was escorted into the docks as she was faced with the confronting reality that she may be going to jail for three stealing charges.

Police prosecutor senior constable Jodie Tahana told Dalby Magistrates Court that at 1pm on July 6 Hinds walked into a warehouse store in Dalby with her one-year-old child in a stroller.

She attempted to place an item to the value of $1000 into the pram with her son, but after realising it was too big, swapped it for a drill kit to the value of $29.98 and a screwdriver set to the value of $179.

Before leaving the store, an attendant asked to see Hinds’ stroller. Hinds showed the attendant, however kept the items covered.

When the attendant asked again, Hinds took off on foot.

Just two hours later, Snr Const Tahana told the court Hinds was seen in a grocery store in Dalby.

Police received an anonymous tip off that Hinds was “acting suspicious” in the store.

When police located her, they found food items to the value of $40 found in her stroller, including cheese, a roast pork, and microwave meals.

Hinds reportedly told police stealing “gave her a rush” and she “just wanted to feel something”.

A month later on August 19 at 1.30pm, Hinds was seen at another local store with her stroller and another male person.

CCTV footage showed the man taking a statue of a monkey and placing it in Hinds’ stroller underneath a blanket.

Minutes later the man is seen taking a tin of biscuits off a shelf. According to the footage, Hinds stood in front of the man while he put the tin of biscuits in his pants.

At 5.30pm on that date, police located the pair.

The man made full admissions to police, however the defendant told police she “didn’t believe she had done anything wrong” as she hadn’t touched either of the items, accoring to Snr Const Tahana.

Defence lawyer Claire Graham told the court of Hinds’ “chaotic upbringing”, saying she had no contact with her mother.

Hinds had also recently been diagnosed with post-natal depression.

Hinds looked relieved as magistrate Tracy Mossop told her she wasn’t going to jail for her crimes, saying her “mental health diagnosis saved you”.

Hinds pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing.

She was sentenced to five months imprisonment in total, released immediately on parole. She was ordered to pay $69.98 restitution for the remaining items that had not been recovered.

Convictions were recorded.

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