LEAVING a thank you note in a bank transfer of stolen money before withdrawing the cash was how a woman with a "bad" record showed her appreciation, a court has heard.
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Aimee McKeon-O'Donnell, 36, of Arunta Street, South Bathurst was sentenced in Bathurst Local Court on April 24, 2024 after she accepted a finding of guilt for dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Court documents state McKeon-O'Donnell transferred two payments from the victim's account worth $950 each on November 13, 2022.
She then transferred the money between her accounts and withdrew the cash from an ATM.
Two days later, the victim went to Lithgow Police Station about 9am to make a report about money being transferred from their account after their phone was stolen from a car in Bathurst.
The victim gave statements to police, which had "thank u" written in each description box.
On January 29, 2023, police stopped a car driven by McKeon-O'Donnell and asked her about the transfers.
She denied it but was later found on November 27 to have been the recipient, according to Commonwealth Bank information.
Sentence
NOT being in a "good situation" was put to the court by Legal Aid solicitor Simone Thackray as McKeon-O'Donnell's motivation behind the theft.
"She was homeless at the time ... it was a tumultuous time in her life," Ms Thackray said.
With a "bad history", it came as a concern for Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis that she was "one step away from going back to that [life]".
McKeon-O'Donnell was placed on a community correction order for 18 months and ordered to pay $1900 in compensation to the victim.
