By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 40-year-old woman has been accused of stealing frozen food during a home burglary, a street robbery and pinching an elderly woman’s handbag in a shopping centre’s toilets in July.
Renee Miguel, of Endeavour Hills, was refused bail at a video-link hearing at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 22 August.
Miguel had two warrants for failing to appear at court on bail on 3 August for disqualified driving, drug-driving and drink-driving.
She had also been on bail for allegedly stealing $3800 of jewellery and three gift cards from a Berwick house during her work as a house cleaner last year. She allegedly pawned off some of the valuables.
On 18 July, Miguel allegedly stole cuts of beef, dips, a cream pie and an apple pie from a chest freezer during a home burglary in Narre Warren South.
According to a police remand summary at court, she made full admissions.
She stated to police she was high on Xanax at the time, and woke up the following morning to find the food in her fridge, the summary stated.
Miguel also allegedly admitted to stealing a pensioner’s handbag while the victim walked away from her walking frame to dry her hands in Dandenong Plaza toilets on 12 July.
The handbag contained the victim’s medication and disabled label, the summary stated.
Miguel was also accused of robbing a woman on Newton Lane Dandenong in the early afternoon of 9 July.
After a short struggle, Miguel stole the woman’s handbag containing her phone, purse and bank and personal cards, according to police.
She allegedly told police she used $80 from the purse to buy heroin at a nearby house, and loaned the phone to a pawn shop for $70.
Miguel told police that she supplied drugs to friends and associates, as well as servicing her own $100-a-day heroin habit.
Defence lawyer Duncan Fowler said Miguel’s offending was fuelled by a “serious drug addiction”. She had been assessed as suitable for a CISP bail program to treat her drug issues, Mr Fowler said.
She was remorseful, insightful and now aware of her family’s support for her.
Miguel had successfully overcome her addiction in the past, Mr Fowler said.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen said he was concerned about the escalating thefts in July, as well as “comments about drug use” at Miguel’s share-house in Endeavour Hills.
Despite the CISP and family supports, Miguel failed to establish ‘exceptional circumstances’ for bail and was an unacceptable risk of reoffending, he said.
“It’s all too serious, Renee,” Mr Vandersteen told her.
Miguel was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 24 August.
