Angela Marie Rolls involved in pokies’ room theft at Pacific Hotel, Yeppoon

Two women playing poker machines at a Central Queensland hotel waited for another punter to leave his machine with a “reserved” sign on it and then they struck.

A cleaner with a history of dishonesty offending teamed up with another woman to pull off a pokies’ room theft at a Yeppoon hotel.

Angela Marie Rolls, 45, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on August 11 to dishonestly gaining and stealing money.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said Rolls was at Yeppoon’s Pacific Hotel with another woman who was a co-offender on July 7, about 6.07pm.

Sergeant Ongheen said both women were in the gaming room playing poker machines.

Rolls’ male residential neighbour, the victim, was sitting about two machines to her right.

Sergeant Ongheen said the victim left his machine to go to the bathroom after placing a “reserved” sign on his machine and asking Rolls to “look after” it.

“When the victim was out of sight, (Rolls) has gone to (his) poker machine and finalised (his) machine, requesting and removing (his) ticket,” he said.

Angela Marie Rolls.

Sergeant Ongheen said Rolls spoke to the co-offender nearby and gave her the man’s ticket.

The co-offender then went to the checkout machine and inserted the man’s ticket, receiving $244.14, and proceeded to the bar where she purchased a drink.

Sergeant Ongheen said when the victim returned from the bathroom, he stopped at the bar to talk to the co-offender and she gave him the drink, but he gave it back.

When the victim went back to his poker machine, he saw that it had been finalised and the credits had been removed.

The victim spoke to staff and they advised him what had happened.

Police later spoke to Rolls about the incident and she said she was approached by the co-offender and was asked to grab the ticket from the machine.

Rolls said she knew the victim as he resided next door to her.

Rolls was charged.

Representing herself in court, Rolls told Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale she worked as a cleaner and it was “one silly night”.

Ms Beckinsale noted Rolls had not pocketed any of the money from this incident, she had not been to court for 11 years, but she had dishonesty offending on her history.

“With your history of dishonesty, you cannot afford to be dishonest in any way, shape or form,” the magistrate said.

Ms Beckinsale fined Rolls $400 and ordered she pay $122.07 restitution.

No conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Angela Marie Rolls involved in pokies’ room theft at Pacific Hotel, Yeppoon