Kelly Ann Thompson, 33, told the ACT Supreme Court she had taken methamphetamine (ice) when she amassed 1557 postal items, many of which were addressed to residents of Kingston and Narrabundah.

Among the items were bank debit cards and corresponding PINs, department store gift vouchers and financial statements.

The court heard police found 943 postal items in Thompson's car on June 23, 2007.

Less than two weeks later, when the woman was on bail, officers came across 243 items of mail in the vehicle she was driving.

The next month, when Thompson was arrested for a breach of bail, police found her with 380 letters addressed to other people.

She also had a master key for the mailboxes of two inner south townhouse complexes.

Yesterday, Chief Justice Terence Higgins heard that Thompson was abusing drugs when she committed the offences.

A probation and parole officer told the court Thompson claimed she had developed an overriding compulsion to amass mail but also conceded it had helped her fund her drug habit.

The mother-of-three gave evidence that she only opened one-third of the mail.

''It was more about getting the mail,'' she said.

''When you're on ice you get fixated on getting it.''

The court heard Thompson came from a dysfunctional background and that her family relationships were characterised by domestic violence and alcohol abuse.

She told her probation and parole officer that when she was 12, she helped her mother burn down the family home because the older woman believed it was haunted.

Chief Justice Higgins convicted Thompson on three counts of dishonestly receiving stolen property and a further charge of possessing items with the intent to use them in a theft. He sentenced her to 15 months imprisonment, backdated to January. Thompson was released and the remainder of her sentence suspended upon her signing a good behaviour order.