Prison time for Albany woman who stole elderly couple’s wallet, bought over $4000 items to swap for drugs

An Albany woman has been sentenced to eight months in prison for stealing an elderly man’s wallet from his home while he was trying to help her, then using his bank cards to buy more than $4000 worth of items she intended to swap for drugs. Alana Marie Coyne, 38, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on June 1 facing 31 charges, including 20 gains benefit by fraud charges, one charge of possessing identification material with intent to commit an offence and one charge of stealing laid over the October 15 incident. Coyne was convicted of those charges on February 16 and was referred to the alcohol and other drug diversion program. Police prosecutor Sgt Matt Hartfield told the court about 1pm on October 15 Coyne knocked on the door of an elderly couple’s home in Spencer Park and asked them to look in their backyard for her purse, which she said had been thrown over their fence. The 85-year-old male victim went into the backyard to look for the purse, leaving Coyne at the front door with his 82-year-old wife who had dementia and poor eyesight. Coyne entered the house and went into the couple’s bedroom where she stole a wallet, and then left the home. Over the following hours, Coyne went to stores around Albany and made 20 tap-and-go transactions with a card from the wallet, spending a total of $4168.11. She also made several attempts to withdraw large sums of cash at an ATM but the card was declined. Some of Coyne’s offending was captured on CCTV footage, and she made full admissions to police when she was arrested, telling them: “I bought stuff with the cards to exchange for drugs.” During her court appearance, Coyne also pleaded guilty to a further nine stealing charges relating to a string of shoplifting offences at various dates and locations in Albany between October 9 and May 3. Coyne’s defence lawyer told the court her client was “heavily influenced by drugs” when she committed the October 15 offences, and described her stealing as “desperate behaviour” to buy drugs. The lawyer said Coyne had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which was complicated by her drug use. She told the court Coyne was “generally cooperative” with the alcohol and other drug diversion program and wanted to get further help. The lawyer said a prison term would not accommodate this and suggested Coyne receive a non-custodial sentence, prompting Magistrate Dianne Scaddan to tell her they were “not on the same page”. Ms Scaddan described Coyne going to the elderly couple’s home and stealing the wallet as a “particularly egregious act” that was conducted in a deceptive manner under false pretences then followed by a spending “spree”. Ms Scaddan said she had formed the view that sentencing Coyne to a term of imprisonment was “absolutely appropriate” to ensure community safety. Coyne received an immediate prison term of 8 months and was made eligible for parole. She was additionally fined a total of $2900 and ordered to pay a compensation order.