An Illawarra woman was expected to be charged by police late Thursday afternoon after allegedly stealing a prosecutor’s handbag from Wollongong courthouse just moments after convincing a judge she was a good influence on her drug dealing boyfriend.
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The woman had just finished giving evidence in her partner’s sentencing hearing in the District Court around noon when she allegedly noticed the handbag on the floor of the courtroom under a set of seats reserved for lawyers.
CCTV footage allegedly captures the woman picking up the handbag, stowing it under her arm and walking out of the complex in the company of her boyfriend.
The handbag belonged to the prosecutor who was running the case against her partner.
The prosecutor subsequently reported the matter to the courthouse sheriffs as well as police.
When the man reentered to the building a few hours later to sign his bond documents, presiding Judge Paul Conlon had him return to the courtroom.
“It’s come to my attention that as you were leaving the court your partner picked up the bag or backpack of the [Director of Public Prosecutions] solicitor and left the court with it,” he said.
“That has been captured by CCTV.”
He said while the alleged incident did not affect the man’s sentencing in any way, it did reflect poorly on the woman, who he said had apparently given an “Academy Award winning performance” earlier that day to convince the court she was a moral, upstanding citizen.
It is understood the woman was arrested outside the courthouse a short time later.
Officers were then seen to search a Holden Commodore the woman had been driving. Inside, they discovered identification documents belonging to the prosecutor.