Thief ‘doomed to failure’

Woman must pay back $2500 to businesses after 12 acts of stealing

A WOMAN whose brazen string of dishonesty was “doomed to failure” has been ordered to pay back almost $2500 worth of goods stolen from Ayr businesses.

Ayr Magistrates Court heard this week how Ella JulieAnn Williams conducted a string of 12 stealing offences and one instance of fraud, over a six-month period targeting multiple Ayr businesses.

Williams pleaded guilty to 20 charges before the Ayr Magistrates Court including 12 charges of stealing and one charge of fraud.

Police prosecutor Codie Rowe said Williams’ offending began on February 24 in Abergowrie where she stole a mobile phone and later a sports bag from the Ingham SportsPower shop.

Williams was then heard to have stolen bed sheets from Target Country in Ayr, almost $2000 worth of goods from Harvey Norman Ayr, household goods from and two Segways.

Mr Rowe said on multiple occasions, Williams simply entered a store, selected items, put them into her bag and then walked out without attempting to pay for them.

“They pose themselves in the sense where the defendant enters the store, does the overt act of selecting those goods from the store and then leaves. It’s brazen offending which affects the community in great terms,” Mr Rowe said.

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The court also heard how in May this year Williams was charged with fraud after selling a microwave to Cash Converters Townsville that she stole from Delta Electrix Ayr.

Defence solicitor Adam Mussap said Williams had relocated from Victoria to start a new life in Ayr following an abusive relationship and had suffered with an addiction to methamphetamine.

He said she had now started to make a life for herself taking up employment at a local cafe

and working on a farm.

Acting Magistrate Scott Luxton said Williams’ actions were “doomed to failure” given she was caught on CCTV on multiple occasions.

“There is a level of brazenness with respect to a vast majority of offences which have been put before the court,” Mr Luxton said.

“It is simply a circumstance where you walk into stores, predominantly stores located in Ayr, take items and make no effort to pay for those items.”

Williams was sentenced to six months’ prison but will be eligible for parole on December 9, she was also fined $1450 and disqualified from driving for one month.