Two men broke into the office of an Invermay car wash operation while a woman who transported them had her car washed, the Launceston Magistrates Court heard.
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Melinda Joy Todd, 38, of Mayfield, pleaded guilty to a count of burglary and stealing, driving while not the holder of a licence, possession of a controlled drug and a count of dishonestly displaying a number plate in a way calculated to deceive.
The court heard that Todd told police that she met "two shady looking characters" at Woolworths in Mowbray and asked them if they knew where she could score some ice.
She bought a point of ice (0.1grams) for $100.
She told police that they wanted her to drive them somewhere and knew it was criminal activity.
Police prosecutor Katrina Woodgate said that Todd drove them to Tassie car wash at Invermay about 10pm.
While her car was being washed at about 10.21pm a man jumped out and used a crowbar to unscrew a piece of sheet metal.
After removing the sheet metal the man used an angle grinder to make a hole in the wall of the car wash office.
"One male entered the office and one acted as lookout," Ms Woodgate said.
She said the car reversed out of the customer's car wash bay when an unrelated white utility arrived.
At 10.40pm the car returned and a male re-entered the car wash office and emerged holding a black cash tin.
They drove off into Gleadow Street at 10.46pm.
An intruder alarm was activated and police looked at CCTV footage.
Ms Woodgate said a Tasmanian number plate had been partly covered by brown tape so that only the letters B and XL were visible.
Police identified that the number plate should have been B84XL and visited Todd's address in Invermay where they found the car with a warm engine and a black cash tin on the back seat and power tools.
Todd was arrested and told police the men were out of the car for five to ten minutes while she was at the car wash.
She said she did not know the names of the men and had no way of contacting them. She said she did not receive any money.
Defence counsel Beri Kurdistan said the crimes were a result of a relapse onto drugs after a period without offending. Todd had a history of drug use from the age of 21 to 34 years of age.
She said Todd had recently returned to Tasmania to take up a caring role.
She submitted the matter could be dealt with through a large fine or a community correction order.
Magistrate Ken Stanton fined Todd $1000 and ordered her to comply with the conditions of a twelve month community correction order.
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Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
