Australian Olympic champion convicted of theft
Australian Olympic champion and former diver Chantelle Newbery has been convicted of theft for stealing groceries from Woolworths.
Newbery, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, was caught walking out with $383 worth of unpaid groceries in Towoomba, Queensland, last July.
She later told the police that she had no food or money to pay for it, according to the Toowoomba Chronicle.
Newbery, now 45, has also pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended licence, on December 5, but was released on immediate parole after being jailed for eight months.
The reason why she wasn't jailed, according to Magistrate Kay Phillipson, was because at that time she was caring for her 18-month-old niece.
The Magistrate told her, “you really need to turn things around".
Newbery's solicitor Alysha Jacobsen told the court that the former diver had turned to drugs following her divorce from Robert Newbery.
After the divorce, she also faced the death of her new partner and her mother.
In 2014, she told Channel 9's A Current Affair that she resorted to drugs after her mother’s death.
She also said that she had been suffering from chronic depression and had tried to commit suicide multiple times.
“There have been times in the past few weeks especially around the time of the court case I knew I was slipping into a place where I was a little bit worried and I did actually go to a GP and get another referral to get help again,” she said.
In 2021, she was caught with an ice pipe after being stopped for shoplifting from Woolworths and Target, to which she pleaded guilty for stealing and possessing drug utensils.
Newbery was the first Australian Olympic diver to win gold in over 80 years at the 2004 Olympics.
She received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005.
Image: Getty
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, you can call these support services, 24 hours, 7 days:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978
StandBy - Support After Suicide: 1300 727 24