Some fraud charges are still outstanding but the police are deciding whether to withdraw those. No decision had been made by the police ahead of today's court appearance because the officer in charge was transferred to Wellington.
Christchurch District Court Judge Paul Kellar decided to go ahead with the sentencing on the charges that Taylor had already admitted because she had already served the equivalent of a one-year jail term.
He imposed an 11-month term with additional post-release conditions that will send her to assessment, treatment and counselling.
In their pre-sentence report for the judge, probation assessed Shepherd as a high risk of harm to others.
She says she wants to stop offending and not go back to prison - she has been there often - but probation says she showed no change of behaviour during a recent term of intensive supervision.
After Judge Kellar agreed to defence counsel Vicki Walsh's proposal to sentence her immediately, Taylor told the judge: "I appreciate the compassion."
Police said Taylor had got out of a shop with a $1000 coffee machine while staff were distracted, and fraudulently got a refund for a returned item at another store. She tried to get a refund on another coffee machine with a historical receipt and then walked out with the machine. CCTV showed she had not gone into the store with the machine.
Judge Kellar said Taylor's 48-page criminal history spanned 47 years. "It is one of the most extensive criminal histories for dishonesty offending I have ever seen," he said.
He said Taylor had been institutionalised very young and raised in foster placements and welfare homes for children with mental health issues. She was subjected to physical and emotional abuse.
Those experiences have prevented her taking part in rehabilitation. She was fearful of engaging in group sessions and distrustful of Corrections to keep her safe in a group environment. She was having counselling.
Although Taylor will probably be released today, Walsh said she had nothing apart from a few personal items. Most of her possessions were given to the Salvation Army after her arrest last year because the unit she was living in had to be cleared.
Taylor said her recent driving fines were not hers because her car had been stolen and used while she was in custody. Judge Kellar wrote off $2500 of the fines, leaving Taylor with some reparation for previous offending still to pay.
He ordered no reparation for the latest offending because she had no ability to pay it.
