How mother blew $18K on mobile movies and TV

IN A bizarre case of identity theft the Toowoomba woman obtained three mobile phone contracts and watch thousands of movies before she was caught.

A Toowoomba woman was sentence to four months jail.

A TOOWOOMBA mum was ordered to pay about $18,000 in restitution to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone after she fraudulently acquired three mobile phones and splurged on pay-as-you-go movies.

Cristina Louise Lander pleaded guilty in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday to four counts of fraud, two counts of stealing and one bail breach.

The court heard Lander used a family member's details to apply for three postpaid phones from April to August, 2018.

On August 15, 2018 she fraudulently acquired a silver iPhone X valued at $1828.

By October 26 Lander had racked up $13,924 in Telstra movies and entertainment.

The court heard Lander eventually came clean and attempted to have the account transferred into her name.

Acting for the defence, lawyer Amber Acreman said her client's offending occurred at the height of her addiction to methylamphetamine.

She said her client had turned her life around and tendered a glowing reference from a government department to back the claim.

In sentencing, Magistrate Kay Ryan considered Lander's ongoing rehabilitation.

"I have seen it happen in the past that when a person is addicted to drugs, they steal from the people who are closest to them and that is what has happened here," she said.

Ms Ryan sentenced Lander to four months jail for the fraud charges and paroled her immediately.

She received a 14-month probation order for stealing.

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