In the middle of a manic episode, a woman took an axe to a Dunedin liquor store to get what she believed she was owed, a court has heard.
The defendant, whose name was permanently suppressed by Judge Michael Turner yesterday because of her mental health difficulties, had stopped taking medication at the time because she believed she did not need it.
The incident on August 25, 2018 resulted in her originally being charged with aggravated robbery but that was amended to demanding with menaces, following a long delay to assess her state.
Immediately afterwards, the defendant spent time in a hospital and was deemed unfit to stand trial, though she was not considered insane at the time the offence was committed.
With treatment she was eventually able to gain some psychological stability and was able to enter a guilty plea.
Yesterday, in the Dunedin District Court, her application for a discharge without conviction was declined by Judge Turner.
Instead, he imposed 12 months' supervision to give the woman oversight as she planned to move from Te Anau to Dunedin.
On the day in question, the defendant walked into a South Dunedin liquor store with a large axe. She slammed it on the counter and demanded alcohol and cigarettes.
The staff member on duty gave her a carton of cigarettes while she removed two packs of pre-mixed bourbons from the fridge.
She was arrested soon after and explained to police that her flatmate, who worked at the store, had not been paid and she had a “right” to take what she did.
The woman claimed she took the axe for her safety and she feared there were gang members in the neighbourhood.
She reported her thoughts had been “racing” at the time.
The court heard the defendant had experienced three similar episodes in the past and all had been triggered by traumatic circumstances.
In a statement, she described how she was “utterly remorseful”.
“I'm appalled by my actions on the day of offending,” she wrote.
“I can only imagine how the employee felt.”
Aged in her 40s, the defendant had no criminal convictions and asked the court to maintain that.
While Judge Turner accepted the offending was driven by her mental health deterioration, he ruled the gravity of the offending was not outweighed by the consequences of a conviction.
