Holly Rose Kruger pleads guilty to part in brazen Norlane armed robbery

The lawyer for a Geelong woman who took part in a brazen, daylight armed robbery alongside a machete-wielding brute, has argued she should be spared prison.

Holly Rose Kruger. Picture: Facebook

The lawyer for a Geelong woman who took part in a brazen, daylight armed robbery alongside a machete-wielding brute, has argued she should be spared prison to protect her mental health.

Holly Rose Kruger, 23, appeared in Melbourne County Court on Monday for a further plea hearing on a single charge of armed robbery, after pleading guilty in January 2023.

According to documents released by the court, Kruger and a co-offender, Bradley Matthews, went to a home in Norlane about 9.30am on March 11, 2022.

The victim was working on a friend’s car in his back shed when the pair arrived.

Kruger knew the victim, the court heard, but Matthews, a friend of Kruger’s then-boyfriend, did not.

Matthews wore a black face mask and was armed with a machete.

He told Kruger to “call the boys and wake them up” – one of which was Kruger’s then-boyfriend, the court heard.

The victim was robbed of $700 and Kruger and Matthews took off in his mate’s car, a 2005 BMW.

The next day police briefly chased the stolen car from Norlane to Corio, until it burst into flames after running over road spikes deployed by officers. The badly burned machete was found inside the vehicle.

Matthews was arrested fleeing the scene, while Kruger was arrested on April 8, 2022 at an address in Corio.

Kruger gave “no comment” answers to allegations about the armed robbery and denied knowing Matthews.

Matthews pleaded guilty and was sentenced on September 26, 2022 for multiple charges stemming from the robbery and car chase. He was jailed for at least three years.

Kruger’s lawyer, Liliana Dubroja, told the court her client had begun treatment to address a number of “complex issues” that underpinned her mental health, and asked judge Martine Marich to defer her sentence.

“She’s someone who has never undergone a period of imprisonment … the impact of imprisonment itself would create a significant adverse impact on her mental health,” Ms Dubroja said.

Kruger had suffered “years of transience and homelessness” and a poor relationship with family members, the court heard.

Ms Dubroja told the court Kruger had lacked mental health treatment, but such treatment was now “in its infancy” and she was enjoying a “real period of stability”.

Kruger had been on medication for two months and was now on a waitlist for a specialist, the court heard.

Ms Dubroja told the court Kruger wasn’t aware the robbery was going to take place when she was picked up by Matthews.

In response, prosecutor Richard Pirrie said Kruger had “ample opportunity” in the two years since the robbery to address her mental health issues.

“The system’s bent over backwards to give her an opportunity,” Mr Pirrie said.

“There’s no material here to satisfy anybody.”

Mr Pirrie dismissed the notion that Kruger wasn’t “in” on the robbery until the last moment.

“She is intimately involved in this offending,” he said.

The matter will return to court at a later date. 

Originally published as Holly Rose Kruger pleads guilty to part in brazen Norlane armed robbery