Jail time appeal
A CORIO woman who dupes lonely old men so she can steal their money reckons she didn’t get a fair hearing when a Geelong magistrate jailed her.
Charmaine Elston yesterday appealed to Melbourne County Court in a bid to get her four-year jail term slashed.
Judge Patricia Riddell heard the cunning crook robbed and deceived four elderly men in 2016 and 2017, taking more than $50,000 from a Herne Hill man and hundreds of dollars from the other victims.
But the judge heard she’d committed many similar crimes in the past 14 years against victims aged 65-95.
“It’s not sophisticated, but it is rampant,” prosecutor Susanna Locke said.
While defence lawyer Lisa Mendicino said Elston was herself vulnerable because of her low IQ (69), “damaging” past and heroin addiction, Judge Riddell rejected a report that suggested the woman sometimes lost control of her actions and was unable to differentiate between right and wrong. “There’s a cunning about this offending ... she’s got to realise the sentences are going to get longer and longer (if she keeps offending),” the judge said.
Elston, 31, was sentenced in March after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary, robbery and deception charges. The court heard she befriended elderly men, then visited their homes uninvited late at night and conned her way inside to steal from them, or rob people as they withdrew money from ATMs.
After stealing from the Herne Hill man in 2016, Elston tried to use his bank cards almost 500 times in the next 110 days, draining $52,000 from his accounts.
Ms Mendicino said her client deserved a jail term that offered a chance at rehabilitation and would not crush her, but the court heard the woman had squandered many opportunities to reform herself in the past. The result of the appeal will be determined on Friday. A FUN-FILLED children’s show will hit the stage at the Potato Shed this week.
The 321 Blast Off play, which focuses on a pair of astronauts travelling to space, will run from today until Friday with twice-a-day shows.
Writer Kerrie Reynolds said the hour-long show promised to be fun.
“There’s quite a bit of audience involvement,” she said.
“I think children will like the music, and the older ones will get some of the jokes.
“When we write these plays, we also add in a lot of funny stuff for the mums and dads as well.”
Ms Reynolds said the idea for the play evolved from a story she wrote for her young niece, who was fascinated by the moon.
The storyline is based on two astronauts who head to the moon to rescue a cow.
However, the journey is not smooth sailing and they are forced to detour via Mars and Pluto before they can return home.
Mr Reynolds said it had been a rewarding experience to see the show come to fruition.
The play is on at 10.30am and 1.30pm each day.
Tickets are $32 for a family of four, $9 for others, and free for children under two. For details, call 5251 1998 or visit www.geelongaustralia.com.a u/potatoshed