Mr Swinburne said that he had contact with the people who provided the stolen property and said threats had been made.
"They said, 'If police were involved you and your family will never speak again,' so the repercussions were quite clear."
However Judge McGuire replied: "If we all respond by silence, evil will triumph and I'm not in that business."
Mr Swinburne again reiterated that his daughter's intentions had been good.
"All she was trying to do was help her Dad and I applaud her for that but at the end of the day, she didn't know it was stolen, neither did I and subsequently I take responsibility for that."
Judge McGuire took into account it was Swinburne's first offence and that she had a baby to raise. She was sentenced to three months' community detention.