'Tragic' drug driving, thefts case in Bendigo court

A woman who has led a "tragic" life has had her sentence deferred for charges ranging from drug driving to theft.

The Bendigo woman in her 30s pleaded guilty to nine counts of obtaining property by deception, five counts of unlicensed driving, two counts of failing an oral fluid test within three hours of driving, and one count each of theft, forging registration labels, fraudulently using registration labels and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

She will reappear before the Bendigo Magistrates' Court in October.

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Magistrate Trieu Huynh heard from the woman's defence team about a lifetime of suffering that he summed up as "such a traumatic life" and "really tragic" which he would take into consideration when deciding on her sentence.

The court heard the woman was on "an enormous amount of medication for a raft of medical conditions" including schizophrenia and pancreatitis.

Her lawyer said she was a victim of significant family violence both as a child at the hands of her mother, who has since died by suicide, and at the hands of her first husband, who was jailed.

The court heard the woman had three children, all of whom died in a car crash when a truck rear-ended the woman's vehicle.

She has also lost five siblings, including one in the last week.

The court heard she was also the victim of a "significant case in Sydney" of gang rape for which one of her attackers was sentenced to more than two decades in prison.

The court heard her father was murdered in 2011 causing her to spiral into drug use leading to heroin, cannabis and ice addictions.

Her lawyer said the woman had used drugs to "self-medicate" and deal with her significant amount of trauma.

Her lawyer said "she accepts she makes extremely poor decisions" when affected by drugs and "openly accepts the role of drug use in her offending".

Magistrate Huynh acknowledged the efforts the woman had made towards rehabilitation as "excellent" despite these significant difficulties and the court heard she was engaging with an intensive program multiple times a week.

"It's important you are supported in the community so we don't see similar offending again," Magistrate Huynh said.

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The court heard the woman in August 2021 used a bank card that did not belong to her to buy goods from a number of Bendigo stores including from Caltex, United and BP service stations, a Champions IGA supermarket, a BWS liquor store, a Woolworths supermarket, Spoils in Lansell Square and Supercheap Auto.

Altogether she spent $517.52 in a spree of offending which she and her lawyer told the court happened when she was drug affected and said could be described as "opportunistic".

She bought items including tobacco, alcohol, fuel, food, a gift card, headphones, hoses and paint with the card.

In January 2023 she stole $363 from a pokie machine at the All Seasons Hotel despite a sign on the gaming machine in question stating it had been reserved by other guests who had briefly left to have a cigarette.

The woman's other offending involved multiple driving offences including driving while unlicensed, driving while affected by methylamphetamine and registration plate offences in August, November and December of 2021 and twice in July and once in September 2022.

The court was told she has not driven since that September offending and she has no criminal matters after her January 2023 theft.

The court heard her vehicle had been impounded a number of times in an "expensive lesson" and she ultimately had to forfeit her car as she had insufficient funds to have it released to her.

Her lawyer said the woman had pleaded guilty at an early stage, had co-operated with police and was arrested without incident.

The woman has been released on bail and must reside at a local address, not drive a car and engage with services to assist her drug addiction issues.

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