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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A 39-year-old woman was sentenced to five months in jail Tuesday after shoplifting from four different stores and failing to appear in court.

From April 2011 to January 2013, Rose Martel shoplifted at Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, the Yellowknife Downtown Liquor Store and Barren Land Jewellery. The woman sat at the defence table Wednesday in Yellowknife territorial court wearing a bright green hoodie displaying the word "Yellowknife" and sweatpants as the Crown prosecutor read out the agreed statement of facts.

On April 25, 2011, Yellowknife RCMP received a complaint that Martel was leaving Canadian Tire with a shopping bag filled with tools. The tools were valued at about $240. She was stopped outside the store and the tools were recovered.

On Jan. 10, 2012, at about 4 p.m., RCMP received a complaint from staff about a shoplifter at Shoppers Drug Mart. The beauty store manager pointed out Martel, whom she recognized for shoplifting in the past, to the security guard. Martel left the store and the alarm sounded. The security guard followed her out of the store, struggled with her on the sidewalk and retrieved a bag with six perfume bottles inside valued at $600. RCMP later watched video surveillance showing Martel grabbing items and placing them into the bag.

She appeared in court on Jan. 31, 2012 regarding the charges where the file was delayed until Feb. 7, 2012. Martel did not show up at court and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was arrested in Hay River last May but later released.

On Aug. 14, 2012, at about 5 p.m., RCMP received a complaint about a woman fighting with staff at the Yellowknife Downtown Liquor Store. Martel fled the scene and left behind a black purse which held one 40-ounce and one 20-ounce bottle of Smirnoff vodka with the security tags ripped off. While the police were in the store speaking to staff, a customer said, "That's Rose."

The last theft occurred on Jan. 7. The next day Barren Lands Jewellery reported a missing earring rack with a value of $1,665. Employees watched the store video and saw a woman steal the rack at about 5 p.m. the previous day.

On Jan. 9, an RCMP foot patrol spotted the woman and arrested her for theft. In a statement to police, Martel said she sold the jewelry for $50.

Both Crown and defence asked for five to seven months in jail with one year of probation upon release. The Crown submitted that Martel had 14 prior convictions for theft since 1991.

"Ms. Martel is not beyond hope ... She just needs to make better choices," said defence attorney Gary Wool.

He said she was physically and sexually abused as a youth and had to steal food.

"That was how she learned to survive," said Wool.

Martel has been dealing with a crack-cocaine addiction and was stealing to support it, he said.

Judge Garth Malakoe sentenced Martel to one month for each of the thefts and the failure to appear in court, totalling five months in jail. She will be on probation for one year, and get counselling as ordered by her probation officer for substance abuse and must stay 50 metres away from the entrances of the four stores involved. Martel must also repay $1,665 to Barren Land Jewellery.

"There is a tear in our society, our fabric, when shopkeepers regard everyone who enters their store as suspicious ... Suspicion falls on everyone as a result of that," he said.

"I hope after you've done your time, you can rise above this."

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