Penrith, Target: Keira Bates stole $200 of clothes, makeup
A young mum who said she was “highly dosed on Panadeine Forte” when she stole more than $200 worth of clothes and makeup has faced court.
Penrith
Don't miss out on the headlines from Penrith. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Kenneth Echols faces child sex charge for second time
- Laura Sheil learns fate on drink-driving charge
A young mum who stole more than $200 worth of clothes and makeup from a western Sydney department store has told a Magistrate she was “highly dosed on Panadeine Forte” during the offending.
Keira Nicole Bates, of South Windsor, pleaded guilty to a charge of larceny before Magistrate Geoffrey Hiatt at Penrith Local Court on Tuesday.
According to court documents, Bates and a friend entered the Target store at Westfield Penrith at about 11am on July 17 and shopped for about an hour.
During the shopping, Bates searched through multiple boxes of dismantled bikes to find a clear plastic bag containing several different sized bolts and allen keys.
She walked to the self-serve checkout just after midday at which time she began scanning some of her items through the checkout.
While this was happening, her friend took three Target shopping bags at which time Bates started loading some items into the bags without scanning them.
She paid for the items that she had scanned, but made no effort to pay for the items in the three shopping bags.
Bates and her friend were stopped by a loss prevention officer and taken to a room in the back of the stores where all the items were confiscated.
The items she hadn’t paid for included makeup, several items of children’s clothing, a puzzle, and a craft.
When she was questioned by police, Bates said she lost track of what had been scanned because she was “in a rush”.
She said she didn’t think to scan the bags or to pay for a 600mL bottle of Coca-Cola.
In court, Bates told Magistrate Hiatt she had “no intention to steal the items”, but pleaded guilty because she acknowledged it happened.
She said she was “highly dosed on Panadeine Forte” at the time of the offending, and produced a medical certificate to show she required the medication.
However, Magistrate Hiatt noted the certificate did not prove she was under the influence of the medication at the time of the offending.
Magistrate Hiatt convicted Bates of the charge of larceny and fined her $500.