Airport worker, 18, is caught rifling through people’s wallets and going on an underwear spending spree with stolen credit cards
- Young trainee stole wallets from her fellow workers at Melbourne Airport
- Alysha Cookson used the money to buy Calvin Klein underwear and cafe food
- Magistrate ordered her to pay the money back as she hung her head in shame
- Cookson, now 19, wants to turn over a new leaf and study to be a nurse
A Melbourne Airport worker who stole wallets from her fellow staff members to buy designer underwear has been ordered to pay the money back.
Alysha Cookson, a trainee at Chinese-owned cargo handling company Swissport International, appeared at Geelong Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
She hung her head in shame as she was sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond over the thefts.
Cookson’s crime spree began in November 2018 when she took a man’s Tommy Hilfiger wallet from an area where her fellow workers stored their personal belongings.
Alysha Cookson, was an 18-year-old trainee at Chinese-owned cargo handling company Swissport International, when she stole money from her fellow workers
Cookson, aged 18 at the time, lifted $250 in cash from the wallet along with bank cards and a public transport pass called a myki card.
She then went on a crime spree, using the man’s bank card four times to buy more than $250 worth of gift cards and petrol at a Melbourne 7-Eleven.
Cookson bought Calvin Klein underwear and a Champion T-shirt at Westfield Geelong with her ill-gotten gains, along with a kettle bell weight and a water bottle from Rebel Sport.
The next day, Cookson returned to work and stole a $300 wallet from a female colleague’s bag.
Alysha Cookson, now aged 19, hung her head in shame as her offending was read out in court. She has vowed to turn over a new leaf and study to become a nurse
Alysha Cookson was in a toxic relationship at the time of the offending and was remorseful
She then used the bank card from the wallet to buy more than $20 worth of refreshments at a Melbourne Airport cafe.
When her boss confronted her about the transaction, Cookson lied and said she used her own card to buy the food and drinks.
The contents of the stolen wallets, including family photographs and personal items, have never been recovered.
The Australian Federal Police arrested and charged Cookson, now aged 19, who appeared in court on Thursday over the thefts.
Her lawyer, Thomas Edwards, told the court that Cookson was remorseful and wanted to become a nurse.
Geelong Magistrates Court where Cookson was sentenced on Thursday to 12 months’ good behaviour. She was ordered to pay back $1,069.70 to her victims in restitution
Mr Edwards said Cookson had been stressed by a toxic relationship at the time of the offending, but was well on the road to recovery, the Geelong Advertiser reported.
Magistrate Franz Holzer said Cookson had ‘let herself down’.
He ordered Cookson to pay $1,069.70 restitution to her victims and put her on a 12-month good behaviour bond.