By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 27-year-old woman on bail has gone on a two-day spending spree worth more than $7600 using a person’s missing credit cards.
The woman, who is late-term pregnant, was sentenced for dishonesty offences at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 26 February.
The court heard that she found a lost wallet containing the cards outside Ibis Hotel, Dandenong in October 2017.
She removed the cards and made no attempt to return them to their rightful owner, prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Tim Barlow told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court.
Instead, starting from dawn on 12 October, the woman used the cards to buy $210 worth of cigarettes, groceries and a myki card in outlets around Noble Park.
She withdrew $2000 from ATM machines with a further $1900 of declined transactions.
That afternoon, she used the card to buy more than $1600 of clothing, cosmetics, cigarettes, handbags, Nike runners and caps at Parkmore shopping centre, Keysborough.
The next day, she withdrew $2000 from two ATMs.
She also used the cards to buy jewellery totalling $1800 from a Springvale store, with a further $1400 of transactions declined.
On her arrest, the woman was found with a zip-lock bag of methamphetamine.
She also pleaded guilty to stealing a wallet and bank cards from a car parked in Mulgrave in January 2017.
She and a co-accused used the cards for nearly $60 in transactions because they didn’t have any money, she later told police.
She was also charged after police discovered her seated in a car with a large bag of stolen power tools at her feet during an intercept in Noble Park in April.
She was also charged with breaching a community corrections order.
In court on 26 February, the sobbing accused told the court she feared the implications for her unborn child.
“It’s just embarrassing.”
Magistrate Pauline Spencer noted the woman’s rehabilitation had progressed well during her CISP bail program.
Ms Spencer said any risks to the community could be managed on a 12-month corrections order.
The CCO included supervision, drug treatment and judicial monitoring.
“I’m confident you will keep turning this corner.
“You are at a point where further dishonesty offences will result in jail terms.
McCallum was also jailed for nine days – which had already been served in pre-sentence detention last year.
