A woman was spending about $150 a day on heroin when she and her knife-wielding teenage daughter carried out robberies described by a judge as "quite unsophisticated".
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Crystal Jeanette Parker, 38, pleaded guilty last year to committing two aggravated robberies and one attempted aggravated robbery.
She appeared in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday and was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended immediately upon her agreeing to enter into a drug and alcohol treatment order.
On Friday, Acting Justice Lorraine Walker told the court that about 6pm on May 20 last year, the two Parkers went to the Calvary John James Hospital in Deakin.
Jasmin Parker went into a staff room and rushed at an employee with a knife, telling the woman to "give us the money", while Crystal Parker remained in the hallway. The victim heard Jasmin Parker say, "Mum, it's not her", and both Parkers left.
Less than an hour later, the pair went to a Braddon supermarket, where Jasmin Parker threatened the attendant with a knife. The teenager told the attendant to stop screaming, otherwise she would stab her. Crystal Parker took $1590 from the cash register, while her daughter stole a can of Smirnoff pre-mixed vodka.
About 8.30pm on July 23, 2019, the pair went to an Asian grocery store in Dickson. Jasmin Parker distracted the attendant by asking for help at the back of the store, while Crystal Parker went behind the counter and took money from the till. As the pair fled, the teenager used a knife to threaten the attendant and a man who tried to stop them.
Acting Justice Walker said in each incident, the Parkers had targeted vulnerable victims who were working alone.
She described the crimes as "quite unsophisticated". They were all caught on CCTV and Crystal Parker appeared to have worn the same clothes each time, even using her own car to flee in the last incident.
"There was no real attempt to conceal her identity," Acting Justice Walker said.
Acting Justice Walker said the elder Parker had co-operated with police after they traced the vehicle to her Stirling address, and told officers her daughter had been the co-offender.
The judge said Crystal Parker's crimes appeared to have been "at least in part, a misguided attempt to maintain a relationship with her daughter".
She said the 38-year-old's role had been somewhat less serious than her daughter's, given the younger Parker was the one brandishing a knife.
Crystal Parker had also "readily accepted responsibility" for her crimes, and "demonstrated real insight into her offending behaviour".
However, Acting Justice Walker said the fact a parent had offended alongside her own daughter "warrants condemnation".
The judge said Crystal Parker developed a heroin addiction in 2018, after exposure to opioids following a shoulder injury. Her habit was costing her about $150 a day during the time of her offending.
The 38-year-old, who thanked Acting Justice Walker for the opportunity to complete drug and alcohol treatment, spent 132 days in custody on remand prior to being sentenced.
If she successfully finishes her treatment program, the remainder of her jail sentence will be suspended in favour of a good behaviour order.
She covered her face with a yellow handbag in an attempt to avoid being photographed as she left court, while her father unleashed a tirade of abuse at journalists, who he called "maggots" and "weasels".
