The reputation of a woman soliciting charitable donations from Canberrans was "decimated" by revelations she had been charged with unrelated frauds, a court has heard.
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Throsby woman Ammie Louise Thelma Blinksell, 33, pleaded guilty to four counts of obtaining property by deception when she appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court heard Blinksell had, in December 2020 and January 2021, arranged to buy four mobile phones, each valued at about $800, from sellers on Gumtree.
When she met these people, the 33-year-old, who also uses the name Ammie Barrett, took off with the devices and did not pay.
In statements read to the court by prosecutor Julia Churchill, each of the four victims described feeling increasingly anxious as a result of the thefts.
One woman said she had needed to be medicated for her anxiety, which resulted in the breakdown of her romantic relationship.
Another, who was pregnant when Blinksell stole her phone, detailed being increasingly reluctant to go anywhere she might have to be around strangers.
Ms Churchill described the offences as calculated and said while they were executed in an unsophisticated way, they had involved some level of planning.
She added that Blinksell had a "notable" criminal history, which included offences of dishonesty in NSW and Queensland.
The prosecutor also asked magistrate Glenn Theakston to order Blinksell to pay compensation to the victims.
Blinksell's lawyer, Anna Theodore, said her client had stolen the phones in order to sell them and obtain money to buy methamphetamine, having relapsed into drug use at a time of "extraordinary grief".
She also detailed numerous mental health issues and described Blinksell as having "hit rock bottom" during the final month of her offending.
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Ms Theodore said Blinksell had subsequently started a charity, Homeless Care Packs, which had been forced to fold after The Canberra Times revealed the 33-year-old was facing unrelated fraud charges and "decimated" her reputation.
"She has suffered repercussions for her actions," the lawyer said.
Mr Theakston decided not to sentence Blinksell on Thursday, saying he was "concerned about the gloss that has been put on this matter".
The magistrate described Blinksell's offending as "structured" and said he was minded to have her assessed for an intensive correction order, which is a jail term served in the community.
He told Blinksell to impress the assessor and begin paying reparations at a rate of $100 per fortnight, warning her "things might get serious" if she did not comply.
Blinksell is due to be sentenced on June 23.
She and her partner screamed at reporters, whom they called "pieces of shits", as they left court.
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