Darnika Plumstead: Woodridge woman charged with 16 offences

A young Logan woman is facing 16 charges, including armed robbery, shotgun possession and five unlawful uses of a vehicle.

A young Logan woman facing 16 serious charges including an alleged gunpoint robbery, possessing a slamfire shotgun, dangerous operation of a vehicle and five unlawful uses of a vehicle faces the loss of her housing commission home after her bail was refused.

Woodridge woman Darnika Corrina Plumstead, 22, cried in the glass dock at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Friday as Magistrate Michael O’Driscoll ruled she was an unacceptable risk to the community in light of her lengthy criminal history, which was littered with convictions for unlawful use of a motor vehicle, breaching bail conditions, possessing weapons and a prior robbery.

Woodridge woman Darnika Corrina Plumstead, 22. Picture: Facebook

The current offences were allegedly committed between November 2019 and November 8, 2020, when she was arrested and remanded on charges of unlawful use, possessing a Category H shotgun, and breaching bail conditions.

The charges of armed robbery at gunpoint and dangerous operation of a vehicle are alleged to have occurred on November 2, 2019.

It is contested whether Ms Plumstead was the wielder of the weapon used in the alleged armed robbery.

She has spent six months in custody in total, with two blocks of three months from November 2019 and November 2020.

Defence lawyer Alan Phillips said his client had performed well on bail for a period in mid-2020, before the reduction of visitation rights with her newborn baby sent her spiralling into her “old ways”.

Ms Plumstead told the court she had also been traumatised by the witnessing of her uncle’s arm being hacked clean off in October 2020, which precipitated the burst of alleged offending which saw her returned to custody.

Mr Phillips described his client’s life as a “tragic story” of homelessness, abuse, and addiction.

He said his client would lose possession of her public housing in April if not released on bail.

Ms Plumstead has an eight-month-old child.

The court heard there have been delays with the armed robbery charge due to the disappearance of two witnesses, who police prosecutor Timothy Wise told had “gone to ground”, with one phone disconnected and the other ringing out, while both addresses appeared abandoned with “mail spilling out” of the letterboxes.

He said police had information the alleged victim of the armed robbery may have received a threat to induce them not to give evidence.

The 16 charges will be mentioned next on March 5.

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