Cleaner who stole from celebrity chef Massimo Mele’s parents sentenced to home detention

A woman who stole valuable Italian jewellery from celebrity chef Massimo Mele’s elderly parents has discovered her fate. IN COURT >>

• Court stoush emerges over value of celebrity chef Massimo Mele’s parent’s stolen jewellery
• Mary Ann Walker to be sentenced for theft of jewellery from parents of celebrity chef Massimo Mele

A CLEANER who stole Italian gold jewellery from the “elderly and vulnerable” parents of celebrity chef Massimo Mele has been sentenced to three-months home detention.

Mary Ann Walker, 50, stole two gold chains and a gold ring while cleaning the couple’s Glenorchy home between October and November 2018 – hocking the valuable items for just $480 at Cash Converters Moonah.

The case has been “hanging over Mrs Walker’s head” for more than two years, with lawyers stoushing over the value of the items in the Hobart Magistrates Court in recent months.

While prosecutors initially claimed the jewellery was worth about $12,000, Magistrate Robert Webster on Tuesday said “a more realistic estimation” was between $4500 to $5000.

The jewellery – which included an 18-karat twisted yellow gold bracelet that seemed to be inset with sapphires – has since been recovered.

Mr Webster said Walker, a mother of three adult children, had a “very industrious work record of at least 27 years” but had lost employment due to her crimes against the Meles.

She was working for an agency when she stole from the couple.

“In my view, it’s a serious example of this offending. It involved a blatant breach of trust,” he said.

“The complainants were elderly and vulnerable and in the case of Mr Mele, he was not a well man.”

He said the jewellery was of great sentimental value, with a wedding ring that was engraved and a bracelet that Mrs Mele purchased more than 40 years ago in Naples.

Mary Ann Walker arrives at the Hobart Magistrates Court.

“The items were, luckily for Mrs Walker, recovered,” Mr Webster said.

He said Walker had six priors for stealing date back to 1989, but hadn’t offended for more than 22 years.

However, he noted the Old Beach resident had displayed “absolutely no evidence of remorse”.

Walker was convicted of two counts of stealing and placed on home detention for the coming three months.

She must also pay more than $500 in court costs and levies.

Acclaimed chef Massimo Mele is the food director of Launceston’s Grain of the Silos restaurant, and will soon assume a new role at a yet-to-named Italian venue at The Tasman hotel in the Parliament Square development.

Chopper Read’s son Charlie pleads not guilty to taxi driver assault

CHOPPER Read’s son Charlie has pleaded not guilty to allegations he assaulted a taxi driver and smashed up his window.

Charles Vincent Read, 21, faced the Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday, pleading not guilty to one count of common assault and one count of destroying property dating back to May 30, 2020, at Richmond.

However, the Tasmanian son of the infamous underworld character also used his time in court to plead guilty to a swag of minor offences before Magistrate Chris Webster.

Those crimes included drink driving, three counts of drug driving, failing to appear in court on a previous occasion, stealing, littering in a volume of 55 litres or less, breaching bail, driving under the influence, wearing a prohibited item and unlawfully possessing a dangerous article in a public place.

The Richmond resident also pleaded guilty to being a driver in a crash and failing to stop, and failing to comply with the duties of a driver involved in a crash.

According to court documents, police allege Read unlawfully assaulted a taxi driver by grazing his right hand while smashing the front passenger window of his taxi.

The documents also allege Mr Read unlawfully destroyed the driver’s property – the front passenger window and the rear passenger side tail-light area.

Read’s lawyer Caroline Graves asked for that matter to go to a content mention and sentence indication, noting the youth had no prior convictions for violence at all.

Mr Webster listed the matter before Magistrate Michael Daly on August 5.

The other offences to which Read has pleaded guilty to will return to court on September 1.

Mr Webster has ordered a pre-sentence report, including whether Read is eligible to undergo sober driving courses, supervision or work orders.

He is currently on bail.

Read’s father, the late Mark “Chopper” Read who infamously arranged another prisoner to cut off his ears, lived in Tasmania for several years during the 1990s until he returned to Melbourne in 2001.

Chopper Read, referred to alternatively as a “larrikin” and a “gangster”, died in 2013 after a battle with liver cancer.

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