A woman with an extensive history of stealing went on a five-month crime spree, spanning three regions and ripping off leading retailers.

Debra Christine Jupp’s actions have been lambasted by Judge Noel Cocurullo, who labelled her behaviour “pathetic”, but she has narrowly avoided prison after pleading for a “final chance”.

“All that you’re doing here is ripping off retailers who have to add money to their bottom line for everybody else just because of your selfish, dishonest, thieving behaviour,” the judge said in the Hamilton District Court yesterday.

Jupp was already classified by police as a “high risk, nationwide recidivist retail crime offender” before her spree began on January 16.

She mainly targeted Farmers stores in Hamilton, Tauranga, and Auckland, along with Woolworths, Pak’nSave and Chemist Warehouse stores, for items including 12 bottles of perfume, lingerie, skincare and food.

The goods she took totalled $3594 but three stores – Farmers The Base, Pak’nSave Mill St and Chemist Warehouse Centreplace – caught her in the act and were able to retrieve their products, which totalled around $600.

Jupp, of Hamilton, has an extensive history of dishonest offending and was in court to be sentenced on 10 counts of shoplifting relating to this year’s crime spree.

‘Caught in the cycle of addiction’

Jupp’s counsel, Sarah Fraser, argued with the judge to keep her client out of jail.

She submitted that Jupp had been crime-free for the past six years and more recently had been receiving counselling through the community alcohol and drug team.

Debra Jupp mainly stole from Farmers stores and cast her thieving net around Hamilton, Auckland and Tauranga. Photo / NZME

But Judge Cocurullo remained unimpressed.

“Her behaviour is pathetic,” he said.

“She is 47, she has 90 previous convictions, 55 of which are for dishonesty.”

Fraser acknowledged her client’s history but said the offending boiled down to Jupp being “caught in the cycle of addiction”, which she was now in the middle of addressing.

“But she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t been hauled before the court by police,” the judge replied.

Asked about what was driving it, Fraser said Jupp began using meth again after a relationship break-up.

“It hasn’t been pleasant,” she said.

“So the result is to just go and hurt a lot of people by ripping them off?” the judge said.

“The fact of the matter is, Ms Jupp, you’re in a lot of trouble.

“Because you have so many previous convictions, the answer should only be jail when you rip people off.”

Fraser told the judge Jupp’s counselling would come to an end if she were jailed.

“I would just be asking for a final chance,” Fraser said.

“She has heard what you have had to say about falling off the bandwagon.

“Ms Jupp accepts that her behaviour is not appropriate and shouldn’t be tolerated.

“She is very ashamed of her behaviour; however, it is sadly something that we see with someone who has relapsed into addiction.”

Judge makes ‘finely balanced’ decision

The police prosecutor noted most of the offending occurred over five months at the same retailer in three different cities.

“Which would indicate she is perhaps trying to avoid being recognised as a shoplifter, and there appears to be some sort of premeditation.”

“Absolutely,” the judge agreed.

Judge Cocurullo told Jupp that because she had been in this position so many times before, prison should follow.

“I truly mean no disrespect to you as a person, but your behaviour, it’s pathetic.

“You come along to court, as you probably did in 2018, when you were last before the court, with all sorts of excuses... but the short point is this, it was your choice to dive back into methamphetamine.”

In what he described as a “pretty finely balanced” decision, he agreed to give her home detention.

“It’s not to be considered as any sort of merciful approach, because you’re well past that.”

After taking a start point of 15 months’ jail, the judge agreed to convert that to six months’ home detention and ordered her to pay $3348 reparation.

He would also judicially monitor her sentence.

“You walk into one retail shop and get pinged with another dishonesty, I’m your judge. Police will note that.

“Don’t you dare come back asking for a merciful approach.”

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 10 years and has been a journalist for 21.