A Bellambi woman has been remanded in custody after twice failing to turn up to court to face break and enter charges.
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Lauren Elizabeth Unwin was arrested on Saturday on an outstanding warrant after skipping her most recent court date because of a reported panic attack.
Unwin appeared in Wollongong Bail Court yesterday morning, where it was revealed she had a lengthy history of not appearing in court when required to do so and breaching her bail conditions.
The court heard Unwin had been released on bail on two break and enter offences stemming back to May last year. However, she failed to front court when the charges were due to be heard. She was convicted in her absence, and a warrant issued for her arrest.
Unwin challenged the conviction when she was eventually apprehended and successfully sought to have the decision annulled.
A new hearing date was set. However, Unwin again failed to show, and was subsequently convicted on the charges for a second time. The magistrate issued a new arrest warrant, resulting in Unwin's apprehension on Saturday.
Seeking bail yesterday, Unwin said she would agree to abide by a curfew, report to police and could live at a specified address.
Her lawyer also said she would consent to police taking a DNA swab, if required.
However, prosecuting sergeant Amelia Wall opposed Unwin's bail application, saying the court couldn't be confident the 19-year-old would show up on the next occasion given she faced a likely jail sentence and had skipped court multiple times before.
Sgt Wall also noted a pre-sentence report prepared by NSW Probation and Parole was "quite scathing" of Unwin's rehabilitation prospects, saying she had refused to get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.
Registrar Tina McKenna refused to release Unwin from custody.