Josephine Trask: Bushfire thief ‘didn’t know donations were for charity’
A woman has faced court after she went on a Christmas Day supermarket stealing spree, which included taking a trolley full of food and drinks, intended for the volunteer-based Rural Fire Service.
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A woman who stole donations for the Rural Fire Service during a Christmas Day supermarket break-in says she wouldn’t have taken the items if she had known they were for charity.
Josephine Trask, 37, of Seven Hills, admitted to stealing $450 worth of donations for firefighters when she broke into Woolworths Schofields on the afternoon of December 25 last year.
She has pleaded guilty to one count of break, enter and steal, and another of negligent driving.
According to court documents, Trask forced her way into the supermarket on Railway Tce by breaking open the sliding entrance doors.
Once inside, she was captured on CCTV cameras taking items of food and Vodafone SIM cards off the shelves and placing them into a basket.
Trask then put the basket in a trolley full of food and beverages donated to the Rural Fire Service and wheeled the trolley out of the store.
Shortly after, she was seen loading the stolen goods in a silver Holden Barina before driving away from the store with co-accused Matthew Dicks, 48.
Police were alerted to the scene and tracked the pair to Schofields Rd, where Trask drove off from police before crashing into a fence on Lambeth Rd.
During a brief mention at Parramatta Local Court today, Trask’s defence solicitor told the court she did not know the trolley of goods had been donated to charity.
“Had she known this, she certainly wouldn’t have done it,” the defence said.
The prosecution said a further drug driving charge may be laid pending the results of a blood test.
Trask remains behind bars and will return to Parramatta Local Court on February 19.
Mr Dicks was charged with possessing a prescribed restricted substance. He was granted bail to face Blacktown Local Court on February 3.