A serial thief who stole items worth thousands of dollars from her friends and neighbours to sell has been jailed for three months.
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Denean Pittman, 38, of Rasmussen Avenue in Hamilton, broke into her neighbour’s house sometime between April 22 and 23 and filled a suitcase with $6000 worth of items.
Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Greg Kew said the accused jemmied open a window, causing damage, and ransacked the property, stealing several items including jewellery, clothes, make-up, four electrical drones, a bluetooth speaker and power drills. She then attended a friend’s house in Milton Street, where she said she was going to sell the items online.
When she returned, Pittman stole the owner of the property’s purse and keys. She then used the victim’s bank card to withdraw $800 from an ATM without her permission.
In another matter, Pittman stole a mobile phone from a friend after she was invited into her house for a can of Coke on March 15.
The accused appeared in Warrnambool Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with several dishonesty offences and breaching a community corrections order.
Senior Constable Kew said a search warrant conducted at Pittman’s home on April 24 revealed a large quantity of the stolen items and a small amount of the drug ice.
Defence counsel Jacob Robertson said Pittman had a daily ice addiction that stemmed from the death of her mother and the end of a decade-long marriage.
He said she admitted to being on a “path of destruction”, however 27 days in pre-sentence custody had forced her to be drug-free and understand the severity of her actions.
Magistrate Peter Mellas said he was not satisfied with Pittman’s prospects of rehabilitation.
“You’ve gone to your neighbour’s house, you’ve broken in, you’ve ransacked the place, you’ve taken people’s money, none of which is going to be repaid,” he said.
“This is serious offending.”
Pittman was sentenced to three months in jail with 27 days already served.