Woman jailed for ram raid
AN ICE-addicted South Australian woman was couch surfing in Geelong when she embarked on a dangerous crime spree that ended hours after she crashed a stolen car through a supermarket.
Emma Wass, of Mount Gambier, will spend more than three months in jail after pleading guilty to several offences including theft, burglary, drug possession and stealing from a shop.
The Geelong Magistrates’ Court heard the 22-year-old was on bail and couch surfing when she used a fake name and false ID to hire a $15,000 ute from a Corio dealership.
Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney said Wass never returned the car and instead used it to commit offences across the region.
Days after the car was reported stolen, Wass and a co-accused drove to the Clifton Springs golf course and attempted to break in.
While Wass and her coaccused got through the first entry door they were unable to break through the door and instead fled in the stolen car.
Days later Wass and a coaccused used the same car to drive to a petrol station in the middle of the night.
There, with covered faces, they used a hammer to try and smash into the station.
But the court heard Wass was again unsuccessful and left empty-handed. Hours later, Wass failed in her second break-in attempt as she unsuccessfully tried to smash into a Garden St newsagency.
However, her crime spree was not over.
On May 16, she and other alleged offenders drove in another car to a Barwon Heads supermarket at around 4am.
Wass backed the vehicle through the supermarket front window and stayed in the car while other alleged offenders ransacked the shop.
The court heard they stashed $7000 worth of cigarettes into the car before Wass drove off — but police were quick to track them down.
The getaway car, full of stolen goods, was dumped in Newcomb. Soon after, Wass was arrested and found to have ice and stolen cigarettes.
Wass’s lawyer argued she should be released from prison immediately because she had served 54 days in custody, had the support of her family and could complete a community corrections order.
But Magistrate Bob Kumar said 54 days in prison was “not sufficient” for such serious offending.
Mr Kumar sentenced Wass to five months’ jail, with 54 days already served.
On release she must complete a 12-month therapeutic community corrections order.