A woman who stole an 18-month-old baby told the girl’s mother she did not deserve to have children when she was confronted after a frenzied car chase, a judge heard.
Brooke Logan Fitzgerald, 32, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Thursday to one count of child abduction.
Judge John Coker heard a 33-year-old woman drove with her baby to the inner Brisbane suburb of Spring Hill shortly after midday on November 5, 2023 to run business errands.
The woman decided not to wake her baby when she arrived at her business and left the engine of her car running so she could keep an eye on her.
Fitzgerald then entered the vehicle and drove away with the girl still inside.
The mother was able to use a tracking device and a friend’s car to intercept Fitzgerald within about 20 minutes.
“What kind of mother leaves a child in a car?” Fitzgerald told police when they arrived to arrest her.
Fitzgerald also told police she deserved to be a mother and intended to take the child home to “play mommy and daddy.”
Brooke Logan Fitzgerald, 32, told police she deserved to be a mother and intended to take the child home to “play mommy and daddy.”
Judge Coker told Fitzgerald that his comments that day were still fresh in the mother’s mind.
“I almost believed you when you said I was a bad mother, that I had failed my daughter and that I didn’t deserve her,” the mother said in a victim impact statement.
Crown prosecutor Joshua Francis said Fitzgerald’s crimes were not as serious as some child-stealing cases but still had troubling characteristics that warranted up to three years in prison.
“There was certainly an intention on the part of the accused to take the child for an extended period of time, but the mother’s quick action interrupted her and prevented her from doing so,” he said.
Mr Francis said Fitzgerald was on parole at the time of the offence and asked for his new sentence to be cumulative with his current eight-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Defense attorney James Grehan asked for a suspended sentence because Fitzgerald suffered an abusive childhood and was not seeking proper treatment for his schizophrenia at the time.
“On the day of the crime she was showing symptoms that affected her judgment,” he said.
Mr Grehan said Fitzgerald had written a letter of apology and used his time in custody to improve his mental health.
Judge Coker said Fitzgerald’s offending was not common but was obviously of serious concern.
“This goes to the very heart of the community, of our society in general, the importance of the vulnerable in our community – children – and those who care for the vulnerable,” he said.
The mother was able to use a tracking device and a friend’s car to intercept Fitzgerald in about 20 minutes.
Judge Coker said he accepted that Fitzgerald was remorseful and hoped a long period of supervision would help break her cycle of drug addiction and incarceration.
Fitzgerald was sentenced to 18 months in prison, added to her previous sentence.
He will be eligible to apply for parole immediately and any decision on his release will be made at a later date.
Fitzgerald’s charge relating to the theft of the vehicle was due to be heard in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
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