‘Meteoric fall from grace’: Former Olympic diver sentenced on stealing charges
Related Story: Olympic diving gold medallist pleads guilty to drug charge
Once an Olympic gold medallist sporting green and gold for Australia, today former diver Chantelle Newbery appeared in jail greens, in what her own lawyer described as a "meteoric fall from grace".
Newbery, 45, pleaded guilty to six counts of stealing, two counts of failure to appear and one count of contravening direction or requirement of police.
She was sentenced to three months in prison but was released on parole today.
Representing Newbury at the Toowoomba Magistrate's Court, lawyer Robert Burns told the court the former Olympian has had a "meteoric fall from grace".
Newbery was visibly distressed, sobbing from the dock as her lawyer described how she had gone "from the top of the world to the very bottom".
Mr Burns showed the court her gold and bronze medal, as well as a page of postage stamps sporting Newbery's face.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Catherine Nielsen told the court that on June 4, Newbery stole a trolley filled with more than $300 worth of groceries from Woolworths at Plainlands.
On September 36, Newbery was caught stealing from four different stores at Grand Central — $509 worth of clothing, Lego and Christmas decorations from Myer; $434 of groceries from Coles; antihistamines and eczema cream from Priceline; and $107 worth of products from Target.
Sergeant Nielsen told the court "the defendant continues to re-offend and there is no way to curb her behaviour".
Mr Burns described the case as being "one of the most difficult he had ever had to deal with".
'The court is filled with tragic stories'
He defended his client's stealing offences as being "necessary items" to live, providing testimony from Newbery's former coach, John Palmer, who said Newbery "was born to fly".
Mr Burns said Newbery's "insidious addiction" to drugs began in 2012, when her mother died of breast cancer.
Newbery had been a palliative carer for her mother and it was her role to administer the morphine — something Mr Burns said Newbery herself became addicted to when she "so desperately wanted to end the pain of her mother's passing".
Mr Burns said his client's reason for previously failing to appear in court was that she was terrified her abusive partner at the time may be present, and she was homeless.
Newbery supposedly said to her lawyer; "do you know how hard it is to get ready for court in the gutter?"
Since moving to Toowoomba to be closer to her two children, Newbery has started a drug counselling program. She's left her abusive partner, and has not been involved with drugs in several months.
Mr Burns told Magistrate Viviana Keegan his client was by no means a "sophisticated criminal", and asked Magistrate Keegan to take that into account.
Magistrate Keegan told Newbery her pleas of guilty would be taken into consideration.
"You knew you were on parole (at the time of stealing) and you knew the consequences," Magistrate Keegan said,
"The court is filled with tragic stories of people becoming addicted to drugs.
"There are factors of rehabilitation there that will be taken into account … but a sentence needs to be a deterrence, not only to you, but for others out there considering committing similar offenses."
Newbery was sentences to three months in prison on a wholly suspended sentence, and will report to Toowoomba Police Station once a week to fulfil her parole requirements.
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