The luxury life of a former private schoolgirl and yoga teacher allegedly behind a daylight attack on a boutique shop in the heart of Melbourne can now be revealed.
Peta Cherry Stapleton, 30, of no fixed address, was allegedly captured on camera booting in the door of Ji Studio store on Elizabeth Street, on September 20.
Footage of the incident made national headlines as Melbourne’s ongoing crimewave continues to enrage Victorians.
On Thursday, Stapleton’s father, respected vet Gary Stapleton, told Daily Mail his daughter lost her way and slipped into homelessness and bad influences.
He revealed how she went from attending one of Australia’s most elite private schools and ashrams in India to now being an ex-Byron Bay yoga teacher living on the street.
Mr Stapleton said his daughter’s life began running off the rails when her mother died when she was aged just 13, and then was attacked by travellers in Byron Bay.
‘She’s never done anything malicious, she’s not a malicious person, but if gets pushed, she’ll fight back,’ he said.
‘She’ll never, she’ll never start anything, she’s not that sort of person.’
Peta Cherry Stapleton and her dad Gary in happier times. The 77-year-old vet has desperately tried to help his daughter
Gary Stapleton believes his daughter got mixed-up with the wrong crowd
Images of the wild incident made headlines across Australia
The worried father said he had done his best to provide his daughter with a good upbringing, sending her to Melbourne’s prestigious Haileybury College and funded her trip to India where she became a qualified yoga teacher.
But Mr Stapleton said his daughter had mixed with a bad crowd in recent years and had suffered a serious assault while living in Byron Bay.
‘When she was up in Byron Bay there was a group of gypsies that wanted to kill her and hit her over the head with an iron bar and then I rescued her from there and that’s how she came to be back (here),’ he said.
‘The police wanted to go up there and have her testify, and I couldn’t let her, you know, because I just thought her life was in danger.’
Mr Stapleton said his daughter needed more help to keep her grounded and get her back on her feet.
‘She’s quite a good sportswoman – she’s a fantastic skier, and with horseriding, she’s a good rider,’ he said.
‘But she’s suffering from schizophrenia. I had issues where we had a lot of fights because she would physically attack me when she was drunk or alcohol affected.’
Mr Stapleton said it made her moods unpredictable, and she needed more help to get her back on her feet.
Peta Stapleton was captured on camera allegedly busting her way into a Melbourne shop
Peta Stapleton had the world at her feet, but has allegedly descended into chaos amid a mental health crisis
‘She’s quite a good sportswoman – she’s a fantastic skier, and with horseriding, she’s a good rider,’ he said.
‘But I had issues where we had a lot of fights because she would physically attack me when she was drunk or alcohol affected.
‘So she’s very kind and then she gets upset very easily and goes over the top,’ he said.
‘She’s never started anything with me. It’s just that I laid the law down and then the next thing I know, she’s gone off.
‘She’ll hit me over the head with a picture frame or something – and then she’s quite loving and kind and she is a very loving kid, really.’
The 77-year-old vet has struggled to help his daughter, providing her with money for accomodation in a bid to get her off the street, and supporting her as best as he can.
‘She doesn’t have a stable address. I paid her money for her to stay at a hotel in Collingwood about two weeks ago and I paid some more money to her boyfriend for them to stay in a hotel somewhere over the next seven days,’ Mr Stapleton said.
While Stapleton does have access to government housing, she has complained it is full of black mould and unfit to sleep in.
Peta Stapleton during her trip to India.
Peta Stapleton displays her certificate on an Indian beach
Police have now charged Stapleton with aggravated burglary, theft and criminal damage.
Witnesses claimed Stapleton had a bag locked in the store, but once inside, took her time to browse the shelves for clothing to walk off with.
‘The woman stole money and clothing items before fleeing the store,’ police said.
‘A staff member sustained non-life-threatening injuries.’
Mr Stapleton said he believed his daughter over-reacted after worried shop staff locked her out of the CBD store without returning her bag before the alleged incident was caught on camera.
‘I think she’s just got into a stage where I believe her bag was locked in and they pushed her out … and then she cracked it,’ he said.
Mr Stapleton said his daughter would not have intended to have hurt anyone inside the shop.
‘I don’t know what happened there,’ he added.
Peta Stapleton enjoyed a good upbringing, which was thrown into chaos when her mum died at age 13
Peta Stapleton went to India to become a qualified yoga instructor
As far as taking stuff goes, I think she went in and something was missing and so she’s grabbed something,’ he said.
‘I don’t think she’s taken thousands of dollars out of the till either. I don’t think it was to steal. Any intention she had was to get the bag.’
Mr Stapleton said his daughter was determined to sort her life out.
‘I’ve got a recent text from her,’ he said.
‘And she said, “Yeah, look, I’m going to try and get myself out of this, dad and I love you” and all that sort of stuff.
‘So that’s where we’re at.’
Stapleton has been bailed and is set to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on February 24.
