Two women who attacked four victims in drug-fuelled crime spree in Inverness jailed

Two women who attacked four victims in eight hours during a violent, drug-fuelled crime spree have been jailed.

Gemma Robertson, 40, and Erin Birse, 24, 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 has amassed a criminal record containing 63 previous convictions, including drugs and dishonesty offences and was previously jailed for assaults.

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

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 pled guilty to assaulting and robbing a taxi driver on the same date at Mackintosh Road, in Inverness. Birse also admitted assaulting and robbing a second taxi driver on June 24 last year at Rosehaugh Road in the city.

The pair further pled 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 in 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.

On Tuesday, the pair appeared before Lord Harrower at the High Court in Edinburgh and he told them they’d have to go to jail for their crimes.

Robertson was told she’d serve 56 months and Birse was given 21 months – she was released early from a 15-month jail term and Lord Harrower told he she’d have to serve the remaining 141 days of that sentence.

Passing sentence, Lord Harrower spoke about the attack on the knife-attack victim and said: “I have assessed the culpability of each of you as high. So far as harm is concerned, as a result of his injuries, the complainer was taken to the High Dependency Unit of Raigmore Hospital, where he underwent a laparoscopy to deal with a serious and potentially life-threatening bleeding wound to his liver.

“You must both consider yourselves fortunate not to be facing an even more serious charge.“

At earlier proceedings, prosecutor 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 was 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 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 victim] 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 woman 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, in Inverness, 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.

On Tuesday, the pair appeared for sentencing. Robertson’s solicitor advocate Michael Chapman told Lord Harrower that his client was determined to change her life.

He added: “She has expressed a desire to secure employment for the first time in her life.”

Birse’s solicitor advocate Shahid Latif said his clent had addiction and mental health issues and adverse childhood experiences.

He also said she had expressed remorse for her actions.

Mr Latif added: “It is my submission that she has expressed the appropriate levels of remorse, insight and shame.”

The pair were taken from the court at the end of the hearing to begin their jail terms.