A 28-year-old man has been charged after allegedly robbing a supermarket owner at knifepoint while wearing a pillowcase on his head.
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Adam Horne, of no fixed address, was arrested in Fyshwick soon after the alleged robbery on Monday night, after police spotted his car on Newcastle Street.
In the ACT Magistrates Court yesterday, Horne was charged with drug possession and aggravated robbery.
He did not enter pleas to the charges.
The court heard Horne entered the 5 Star supermarket at Theodore at about 7.40pm on Monday wearing a pillowcase with two holes cut out for his eyes.
He allegedly brandished a 30cm blade at the owner of the supermarket and demanded cash and cigarettes, making off with $1623 and 10 packets of cigarettes.
The owner followed Horne outside the supermarket and took down the registration number of the getaway car.
According to a statement of facts tendered in court, Horne admitted to police that he had robbed the supermarket and had gone to the Burns Club in Kambah afterwards, drinking a schooner of beer and putting $100 into a poker machine.
He was also caught with a plastic clip seal bag filled with a crystalline substance believed to be the drug ice.
The prosecution argued that Horne should not be granted bail because he was couch surfing, living temporarily at the homes of friends, and may abscond from the territory.
But Magistrate Grant Lalor said Horne had obviously been residing in Canberra because he had been offending in the territory for the past five years.
A police witness told the court Horne said he had committed the robbery to finance a drug habit but she conceded in cross-examination there was no information in court-tendered documents about the drug habit. Horne's defence lawyer said there was no evidence that he had a habit.
Horne had worked in Queanbeyan for the past four years and was able to live with his father in Goulburn, commuting to the ACT for work.
Horne could offer a surety of $1000 and was willing to abide by strict bail conditions, however, the prosecution argued no conditions could address the risk of Horne offending or absconding from the territory.
Mr Lalor said the prosecution case was strong and there was evidence that the robbery was premeditated.
He refused bail and remanded Horne in custody until later this month.
