Leah Michelle Floyd’s ‘normal life’ turned shoplifting junkie in four months
Leah Michelle Floyd lived a ‘normal life’ as a stay at home mum to her six boys until a series of events left her homeless, addicted to drugs and shoplifting to fuel her habit, a court has heard.
Central Coast
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A woman has been ordered to repay more than $5500 after she went on a shoplifting crime spree from Bateau Bay Square, Tuggerah Westfield, Lake Haven and into the Hunter Valley.
Leah Michelle Floyd was sentenced at Wyong Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to a dozen shoplifting offences between July 2020 and January this year.
The court heard the 37-year-old targeted Officeworks shops at Tuggerah and Kotara, David Jones stores at Tuggerah and East Maitland and Ozmosis surf shops at Bateau Bay and Lake Haven stealing thousands of dollars worth of products.
She also stole a $700 six piece cook set from Robins Kitchen and $611 worth of baby products from Kmart at Bateau Bay Square along with a $249.95 Remington gift set from Price Line Pharmacy at San Remo.
An agreed set of police facts states Floyd was known to police for similar matters and admitted to having a drug problem.
The facts state Floyd, often along with one or two other offenders, would enter the shops before going off in “different directions” putting items in their bags and leaving without paying.
“It is evident in CCTV footage that both parties are working with one another in order to obtain product,” the facts state.
“While taking the items both POIs [stop] briefly to have short conversations with each other or are distracting workers at the location.”
Floyd was also charged with trespassing after she entered a house she had been evicted from at Ada Ave, Noraville on October 17 last year.
Police patrolling Doyalson noticed a silver Mitsubishi Magna at 1.30am “due to its manner of driving”.
They found Floyd and one of her co-accuseds Tyler Edwin King, 23, in the vehicle.
They were arrested and Floyd made full admissions to shoplifting and unlawfully entering the property.
“The accused stated she has been regularly using drugs recently and that has led to her making the incorrect choices listed above,” the facts state.
In a letter tendered to the court Floyd said she had a “normal life” as a stay at home mum to six boys and as a wife until May 2018.
She said her eldest son’s biological father died, which left him “shattered”.
Three weeks later she said her husband of 15 years left her for her best friend of 30 years.
Then she had a good friend take their own life.
“After months of grief I was struggling with nightmares, major depression, the loss of my son’s father and my husband walking out, I began to self medicate with drugs to block out the emotion and become a very numb, yet functioning mum,” her letter states.
After four months on drugs she found herself homeless and all her children living with their dad.
Her lawyer Lauren Hitchen told the court Floyd only shoplifted to feed her drug addiction and alleviate her homelessness.
Magistrate Caleb Franklin noted Floyd had been in custody for eight weeks and sentenced her to a six-month intensive corrections order, a 12-month community corrections order and that she repay a total of $5,541.40 back to several of the shops which sought compensation.
Her co-accused Tyler Edwin King was also sentenced on Monday after being convicted of 18 shoplifting and larceny offences, 30 fraud offences and driving charges including stealing a car.
He was sentenced to 12 months jail with a non-parole period of five months. With time already served he will be eligible for release on April 17.
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