Rebecca Lee Giddings
A THURGOONA woman described as a habitual shoplifter was yesterday banned from entering any shop or supermarket in the Albury area unless accompanied by her mother.
It was one of the stringent conditions imposed on Rebecca Lee Giddings, who appeared in custody in Albury Local Court.
Warrants had been issued for the arrest of Giddings, 27, of Coolibah Court, after she failed to attend court on January 22 on four counts of shoplifting.
Magistrate Tony Murray said during a bail application yesterday Giddings has been stealing for eight or nine years.
He asked why she failed to attend court.
“She lost her nerve. She freely admits that,” solicitor Andrea MacDonald said when conceding a jail term was appropriate considering Giddings’ criminal record.
Mr Murray said Giddings had previously been jailed for shoplifting, was at present on a bond and he ordered an assessment for an intensive corrections order.
Her mother was sitting in the back of the court when Mr Murray told Giddings: “Unless your mum is with you, you will not be able to enter any store”.
Giddings was released on $1000 bail with a 10pm to 8am curfew and daily reporting to police.
It was previously revealed in police facts Giddings had a video recorder hidden in a pram on December 31 when she tried to leave the Harvey Norman store but a customer had seen her take it.
Giddings was confronted as she left the centre with a request to look in her pram.
Her response was: “No. Can’t you see my baby is asleep”.
But as a staff member said he had to look in the pram and began lifting a blanket, Giddings ran through the furniture department into a car park.
There was no baby, only the video recorder valued at $550.
Giddings has been caught twice since 2011 using the pram ploy.
She had previously committed two thefts at the Aldi supermarket in Lavington on December 12.
Her sentencing has been adjourned until March 19.
