‘Despicable’ act

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
A WOMAN has been jailed after she robbed shops in Healesville and Coldstream as part of a Black Saturday thieving spree.
Belinda Ronaldson, 36, of Currawa Drive, Boronia, will spend at least six months behind bars for her “opportunistic” and “despicable” behaviour of stealing money that was meant for bushfire victims, the Royal Children’s Hospital and even a 14-year-old cancer patient.
Ronaldson pleaded guilty in the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court to more than 30 charges of theft, including stealing a charity tin with $260 cash from Healesville Bakers Delight on 22 February 2009.
The court heard last Wednesday (7 July) that on several occasions she used a pram containing her infant child to conceal liquor from shop staff.
She was also pregnant with her fifth child at the time.
In sentencing, Magistrate Leonard Brear said: “A person with your history should not expect leniency where you used a child for these offences and then plead not to be taken away from the child.”
Ronaldson also stole three bottles of spirits from Coldstream IGA en route to Healesville, and returned later the same day and stole another three bottles.
On the same day she stole 10 bottles of alcohol valued at $250 from Coles Liquorland in Healesville.
On 18 February last year she also stole a CFA bushfire charity tin containing $320 from Emerald Cellarbrations, a charity tin from a dog-grooming shop in Boronia and two Good Friday Appeal collection tins contai9ning $250 from Doncaster East.
Mr Brear said Ronaldson and her co-accused had set about to confuse staff, distract and engage in systematic behaviour involving the theft of a substantial amount of liquor and charity money.
Ronaldson’s three-month thieving spree totalled almost $3000, and included five counts relating to the theft of charity tins and the theft of a staff tip jar from a Boronia cafe.
Her solicitor said the reason for the thefts was “money and hardship”.
Mr Brear said the offences concerning the charity tins were “despicable behaviour”.
“It was opportunistic to take the fruits of shopkeepers’ endeavours to raise money for charity,” Mr Brear said.
She was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a non-parole period of six months.
He said if Ronaldson hadn’t pleaded guilty she would have been sentenced to 17 months in prison.
More than 20 charges against her co-accused were adjourned until October.