A woman who pleaded guilty to stealing almost $400 worth of birthday cards from a shop in Merrylands has been fined $800.
Janine Sanday, 51, fronted Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday, February 14, charged with ‘larceny’, ‘possession of a prescribed restricted substance’ and ‘unlawfully entering prescribed lands’
It is alleged that she stole $383.30 worth of birthday cards and other miscellaneous items from the Big W at Stockland Mall Merrylands.
“It was stupid,” she told Magistrate Stephen Barlow.
The court heard that she was in the store for over an hour and a half and was observed placing cards inside each other and then inside an envelope.
Sanday was approached by plain clothes police, to whom she denied the allegations.
Police say they conducted a general search and also found one tablet of Mirtazapine, which the accused denied having a prescription for.
When asked how she was going to pay for the items with only $90 in her possession, she was unable to provide further information.
The court heard that she has an extensive criminal history and has been charged 80 times for drug possession and shoplifting offences.
“If you keep coming back for shoplifting you’ll end up being locked up again,” the Magistrate said.
She has been issued a ban from all Woolworths and Big W stores nationally, convicted of the offences and fined $800.
Formerly with the ABC, Makayla is a graduate of Western Sydney University. She covers a variety of news topics for Parra News.