Jasmin Parker gets suspended sentence for knifepoint robberies with mother Crystal

Justice John Burns said in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday that there had been "some bumps along the way" since he deferred Jasmin Parker's sentencing more than a year ago.

But he said the young woman, who was 18 at the time of her offending, had made largely positive progress and deserved a chance to continue rehabilitating herself in the community.

Justice Burns therefore sentenced Parker, now 20, to one year and nine months behind bars, but suspended the jail term on the condition she enter into a two-year good behaviour order.

The judge said he had taken into account factors including Parker's early guilty pleas and that she had committed her crimes in the company of her mother, "a person who may be expected to have some degree of influence over the offender".

Agreed facts previously tendered to the court show that Parker brandished a knife at a screaming Calvary John James Hospital staff member and demanded, to no avail, that the woman "give us the money".

She and her mother Crystal Parker, who was also present during that failed robbery attempt in May 2019, wasted little time in finding another vulnerable target.

The duo turned up less than an hour later at a small Braddon supermarket, where Jasmin Parker threatened to stab a terrified worker while demanding cash.

The mother and daughter ultimately fled with $1590 in cash and a can of vodka.

The pair were at it again in July 2019, targeting the lone attendant at an Asian grocery store in Dickson.

Jasmin Parker distracted the worker on that occasion so her mother could sneak behind the counter and steal from the cash register.

The then-18-year-old robber then secured their escape from the scene by pulling a knife on the attendant and a bystander who tried to stop them fleeing.

Following their arrests, both mother and daughter ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of attempted aggravated robbery.

Jasmin Parker's barrister, Beth Morrisroe, conceded on Thursday that her client had been involved in "some minor incidents", which were not detailed, since sentencing was deferred in February 2020.

But Ms Morrisroe said a fully suspended sentence would still be appropriate, and prosecutor Morgan Howe did not disagree.

The court heard that Jasmin Parker had "continued to have no contact with her mother" since the offending.

She previously told the court through tears that she was "just following my mum", who was the driving force behind the crimes.

Crystal Parker admitted during her own sentencing that she had been trying to fund a $150-a-day heroin habit at the time in question.

The elder Parker, who was given a mostly suspended three-year jail sentence in February 2020, recently became the first person to complete a Supreme Court drug and alcohol treatment order.

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