Tee-Yanna Skye Torkington was on parole when she reoffended

Had the 32-year-old been jailed with a parole eligibility date she could serve out the whole sentence before the parole board got to her application, the court heard.

Teeyanna Skye Torkington pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on February 28, 2022.

Delays in the parole board hearing applications for parole has saved a 32-year-old Toowoomba woman from serving time behind bars.

Because Tee-Yanna Skye Torkington was on parole when she reoffended, she could only be given a parole eligibility date and not a set parole release date, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

Magistrate Howard Osborne said in those circumstances, she could end up serving the whole sentence in custody before the parole board got to consider her application and she had to be given some benefit for her pleas of guilty.

The court has regularly heard that it was taking upwards of six months for the parole board to catch up on parole applications from prisoners.

Torkington was on parole when she and a co-offender entered the site of a house under construction and caused more than $7000 damage when trying to steal copper wire.

Police prosecutor Cameron Francis said a neighbour had seen torch lights on the scene and called police and the pair had been caught in the back yard.

The pair had a torch, wire cutters and gloves on them, the court heard.

Torkington pleaded guilty to entering a premises and committing an indictable offence and to possessing by night instruments of house break.

Mr Francis said the co-offender had been sentenced in January by the same court to six months in jail with immediate parole.

Torkington’s solicitor Alysha Jacobsen, of Bouchier Khan Lawyers, told the court the pair didn’t get away with anything from the site.

Should her client be jailed with a parole eligibility date, she could spend considerable time behind bars waiting for the parole board to reach her case, she said.

Magistrate Osborne agreed and sentenced Torkington to six months in jail but ordered the whole term be suspended forthwith for 18 months and ordered she pay half compensation of $3767.50.