Two women attacked four victims in 'violent' drug-fuelled crime spree

Two women attacked four victims over eight hours during a violent, drug-fuelled crime spree.

Gemma Robertson and Erin Birse inflicted a potentially life-threatening knife attack on their final victim, who let them into his home to charge their mobile phones.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Robertson, 40, has amassed a criminal record containing 63 previous convictions, including drugs and dishonesty offences and was previously jailed for assaults.

Her co-accused, Birse, 24, has 37 previous convictions and has been jailed for robbery and assault.

A judge told the pair he has not yet studied their schedules of prior offending in detail, “partly because they are so long”.

Lord Harrower said they clearly regarded the threat of imprisonment more or less as some form of “occupational hazard to your careers in crime”.

Robertson and Birse admitted robbing a woman on June 24 last year at a house on Rosehaugh Road, Inverness, after Robertson assaulted her.

They also pleaded guilty to assaulting and robbing a taxi driver on the same date at Mackintosh Road in the city. Birse also admitted assaulting and robbing a second taxi driver, also at Rosehaugh Road.

The pair further pleaded guilty to assaulting a man to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life in a knife attack and robbing him at an address on Beechwood Road, Inverness, on June 25 last year.

Both women were on bail at the time of the attacks, having been granted bail at Inverness Sheriff Court earlier that month.

Advocate depute David Dickson KC told the court: “This case involves both accused committing several offences over the space of an evening while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”

Mr Dickson said the earliest offence in the crime spree occurred at 4.30pm at the home of a neighbour of Robertson. Robertson and Birse arrived at the property and seemed to be in “good form” initially, but their behaviour became erratic after taking crack cocaine.

The prosecutor said that without warning, Robertson attacked a visitor at the house by pulling her hair, pushing her and holding her head down on a sofa.

Robertson then put her knee on the victim’s back to stop her from getting up and repeatedly punched her on the head.

Two bags belonging to her were stolen by Robertson and Birse, who made their way to Robertson’s home. Another woman later recovered the bags, but a bank card and prescription medication were found to be missing.

Later that evening, a taxi driver went to a Spar shop at Thornbush Road, in Inverness, to pick up a fare. After a wait, Robertson and Birse appeared and got into the taxi.

He took them to Mackintosh Road, but they claimed they had no money to pay the fare before Birse tried to grab cash from the man’s shirt pocket while Robertson blocked his exit from the vehicle.

Birse got into a struggle with the taxi driver and managed to remove £90 from his shirt pocket before the pair made off.

Birse had also tried to rob another taxi driver of his mobile phone. They got into a struggle as he tried to stop his phone from being stolen. The phone fell to the ground, and he got out of his vehicle to retrieve it.

The final victim had arrived at his home shortly after midnight. Robertson and Birse asked him if they could charge their phones.

Mr Dickson told the court: “[The man] decided to let them in as they seemed distressed.”

The prosecutor said: “Both accused asked him if he did drugs, which he took to mean as them looking for money for drugs. They also pulled out a pipe, which they told him was a crack pipe, and started smoking.”

The women made to leave and Birse grabbed the man’s wallet and ran towards the door, but fell on the front step and landed on grass. He managed to get his wallet back.

Robertson then tried to grab the wallet, and a struggle broke out. Birse climbed through a window and shouted to Robertson, who passed her a knife.

Birse swung the knife at his face and caught him on the nose before striking him on the hand. The man fell but then stood up and tried to recover the wallet before Birse stabbed him in the abdomen.

The women left, but a short time later returned and shouted through the letterbox that they were sorry and “shouldn’t have done that”.

The victim phoned police, stating that he had been stabbed, and he was taken to Raigmore Hospital, where a CT scan showed a cut to his liver. Surgeons were able to stop the bleeding from the organ.

Mr Dickson said: “The injury to [the victim’s] abdomen was serious and potentially life-threatening.”

Robertson and Birse were arrested by police in the early hours of the morning of June 25 at Longman Road in Inverness.

Lord Harrower deferred sentence on the pair for the preparation of background reports and they were remanded in custody. They are due to appear for sentence on April 21 at the High Court sitting in Inverness.