Police foil foreign dollar exchange plan

EXCHANGING stolen foreign dollars may have made sense at the time but security footage and a police investigation foiled one woman’s efforts.

Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday heard Ashleigh May Wharton, 22, and another man had tried to exchange a total of $US1800 in stolen money at Grand Central, the day after it was reported stolen from a Harristown home.

Prosecutor Tim Hutton said security footage showed Wharton and a man exchanging $US200 at Crown Currency for $AU269 at Grand Central at 11.07am on May 29.

Minutes later, at 11.15am on the same day, the man re-entered the shop and exchanged $US1600 for $AU2076.85, Sergeant Hutton said.

Police seized CCTV as part of investigations and Wharton was able to be identified on the footage.

She was located at a James St address on June 1 and when questioned by police, admitted she had exchanged the money but declined a formal interview with police.

She was charged with one count of receiving tainted property to which she pleaded guilty in court yesterday.

The other items stolen from the Harristown home were not located at the James St address, Sgt Hutton said.

Solicitor Kevin Rose said Wharton was a single mother receiving parenting payments, and accepted she had been involved in exchanging the money.

Mr Rose said his client was co-operative with police in that she admitted to exchanging the money despite declining a formal interview.

Magistrate Graham Lee noted Wharton had no prior criminal history and gave consideration to her young age.

He fined her $600 referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry, and ordered she repay $1162 restitution.

No conviction was recorded.