Drugs demanded in robberies

Victoria Crawford, who is transgender, pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated robbery and a charge of trespass.

Arrested and released with a warning after fighting in public, Victoria Crawford went immediately to a Porirua pharmacy and pretended to have a gun in her bag to rob the pharmacist of prescription drugs.

Six days later, the 29-year-old entered a Masterton pharmacy where she is trespassed from, and again pretending to have a gun attempted to rob staff of more drugs.

Before Judge Bruce Davidson in Masterton District Court on Thursday, Crawford, a transgender, pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated robbery and a charge of trespass.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Garry Wilson said Crawford was arrested by Porirua police on July 13 for fighting and was soon released without her car keys as she had been drinking.

Upset at what had happened, she went to the Unichem Pharmacy in Porirua mall asking to speak to the pharmacist privately about an eye injury sustained in the fight.

Crawford had her hand inside her shoulder bag and told the pharmacist "not to do anything stupid", demanding they give her Zoplicone and Halcion, which are sleeping pills. She grabbed bottles containing 642 sleeping pills valued at $30 before running off.

She then took most of the pills and lapsed into unconsciousness and was taken to hospital.

"She said she had not been trying to kill herself and had only wanted to get high," Mr Wilson told the court.

Then, on July 19, Crawford went to Masterton Pharmacy where she is trespassed from.

She told a staff member she had a gun in her purse and to "hand over the DHC", which is an opioid painkiller, Mr Wilson said.

Believing Crawford had a weapon, the staff member stepped back and indicated she could "take whatever she liked", he said.

A pharmacist recognised Crawford and told her she wasn't allowed there, at the time she was trying to grab prescription medicines from behind the counter.

However, her theft was averted during a struggle with staff and she left with nothing.

Defence lawyer Peter Stevens said his client had a drug problem.

Judge Davidson said it was "almost inevitable" somebody could be seriously injured by Crawford when she was seeking drugs.

He remanded her in custody where she is to be segregated from male prisoners. He has called for a pre-sentence report including a drug and alcohol report to assist the court at sentencing on September 29.