Was sentenced to prison for stealing without having to pay a fine? What's this rhythm?
Recently, an Australian mother, who stole from shopping malls under the cover of a stroller, was caught in the burgling process. The mother will face three months in prison without paying any compensation.
The 35-year-old woman, Alicia Jane Larsen-Smith, is the mother of four children from Queensland. She has been charged with seven counts of theft and has been charged by the Southport Magistrates court. On court, however, the mother argued that she stole clothes because she didn't have a washing machine.
The theft began six months ago when she stole some baby clothes and bottles from Target in Westfield Helensvale, Gold Coast, and hid them in a stroller.
Last October, she was monitored while stealing clothes from Lacoste, a shopping center in Harbour Town. Surveillance showed that she used the same trick to plug her clothes into the stroller and take them out.
A few months later, she stole a $499 vacuum cleaner in Mt Gravatt Brisbane's Big W and a $200 gift box in Lush.
It wasn't over. Over the next few months, she stole from nearby Supre,Cotton On,Valley Girl and Target..
Larsen-Smith 's defense lawyer said the woman had just ended a "mistreated relationship" and was now staying with relatives and friends on the Gold Coast.
"she was embarrassed, too. She didn't even have a washing machine at home when she stole clothes."
As a result, the judge sentenced her to three months in prison and a suspended sentence of nine months. But given her current financial situation, she does not have to compensate for any damage to the store.
The judge said: "I am reluctant to do so, but I have great sympathy for [the thief's eye] on the business."
Anyway, poverty is no excuse for stealing. It is even more problematic to steal things without losing money because they are poor! What do you think of the court decision?