COVID-19 shortage: alleged Geraldton medical mask thieves miss court hearing

A man and woman accused of stealing 49 medical face masks from Geraldton Hospital failed to appear in court last week. It is alleged on March 18 the pair distracted a nurse who was pre-screening patients at the hospital entrance before the woman snatched a box of masks and fled. Jason Brett Oxenham, 35, and Casey Shaelene Woods, 24, were charged with stealing. They failed to appear in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court last Thursday. Magistrate Chris Miocevich adjourned the matters until April 6, when Mr Oxenham is due to appear for unrelated charges. At the time of the incident, a WA Police spokesman described it as a “despicable act in the current climate”. He was referring to the dire shortage of face masks available to health care workers across Australia — a shortage brought on by panic buying in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.