By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A grandmother on holiday from China went on a stealing spree of hundreds of handbags, shoes, vitamins, cosmetics and jocks, a court was told on 6 February.
She and her daughter Qiuyu Zhang, 40, of Lynbrook, had been arrested at Fountain Gate shopping centre on 7 July after stealing $620 of clocks, men’s underpants, ladies shoes and clothing and a handbag from Big W.
At Zhang’s home – where the grandmother had stayed since May – police seized a vast array of suspected stolen goods, including 284 items of vitamins, perfumes, cosmetics, medicines, ointments and sunscreen.
Other seized goods included two bags of costume jewellery, eight pairs of ladies shoes, 34 pairs of slippers and 39 handbags in the grandmother’s bedroom.
The items were brand-new, apparently unused, often in their original packaging and few accounted for by receipts, according to a police summary.
They were stored in a variety of bags, suitcases and wardrobes. The court wasn’t given an estimated value of the stolen goods.
The grandmother had been staying at Zhang’s home since May, and has since returned to China.
After finding an international freight receipt, police believed the grandmother and her daughter may have already shipped stolen cosmetics and clothing to China.
In a police interview, Zhang blamed her mother for stealing much of the loot, but admitted she was fully aware the goods were stolen.
At Dandenong Magistrates’ Court, Zhang faced charges of shoplifting and dealing with proceeds of crime and suspected stolen property.
Defence barrister Richard Lawson described Zhang and her husband as hard-working migrants, with three children and a significant mortgage.
“It reached a point when (Zhang) knew her mum was shoplifting and did nothing about it – and made a bad situation worse.”
Mr Lawson said he didn’t think the grandmother would return to Australia after coming to attention of immigration authorities.
He conceded the court would be “generous” if it didn’t convict Zhang.
Magistrate Barry Schultz said there had been “serious and protracted theft” but took into account Zhang’s “difficult personal, moral situation”.
Mr Schultz said Zhang nevertheless should have tried to stop the thefts continuing.
He imposed no conviction “with some reluctance” but said – despite police beliefs – there was no evidence some of the stolen goods were being sent to China for profit.
Mr Schultz took into account Zhang’s early guilty plea, admissions, no prior convictions and the return of up to 90 per cent of the property.
Zhang was fined $1500, and the unrecovered property was variously forfeited to the State Government or destroyed.
