A woman accused of wearing a wig to steal about $13,500 worth of jewellery has been remanded in custody after a magistrate said it seems "to be an extraordinary coincidence" that a similar wig was later found at her premises.
Victoria Brincau, 31, appeared via audio-visual link in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday charged with aggravated robbery and riding in a stolen motor vehicle, to which she has not pleaded.
The court heard that on January 9, co-defendant Donna Jean Pricsina, 30, first entered Angus and Coote at South.Point Tuggeranong before Brincau.
The latter allegedly wore a wig and wide-brimmed hat. After the pair spoke with staff members, Brincau allegedly placed an $8999 nine-carat gold necklace around her neck.
A few minutes later, the defendant asked to look at a nine-carat gold pendant worth $4499.
The defendant then allegedly began to run out of the store without paying for the items.
When staff tried to intervene, Pricsina allegedly pushed one back and threw metal signage onto the ground.
The pair ran through the shopping centre before allegedly escaping via a grey BMW parked at the Big W loading dock.
After police obtained security footage, they executed a search warrant at a Monash property where they found a similar wig and other clothing seen in the footage.
Police had also found what they alleged to be cannabis plants, ammunition, suspected stolen property, and airguns.
Brincau has also not pleaded to other charges arising from those items found.
The court heard that during her police interview, she denied committing the offences at the Tuggeranong shopping centre.
In applying for bail, defence lawyer Sam Brown said the prosecution case was weak and asked Brincau to show a script tattoo on one of her forearms.
Mr Brown then played CCTV footage of the incident, showing the woman alleged to have been Brincau.
He said the absence of a tattoo on the woman in the footage was relevant to the strength of the robbery and riding in a stolen motor vehicle charges.
A prosecutor said he agreed that it was difficult to see a tattoo on the security footage; however, he said he "can see a tattoo".
"It [case] is not so weak as to amount to special or exceptional circumstance favouring the granting of bail," he said.
Magistrate Beth Campbell said she agreed with the prosecutor.
"The CCVT isn't clear enough for me to be confident that I could say it's not you in the footage," Ms Campbell said.
She said it was also based on the information that police officers recognised her from the footage, as well as the search warrant finding a similar wig and shorts seen in the footage.
"Which seem to be an extraordinary coincidence, as does of course the other woman that they [police] identified as being involved in the robbery [and who] also turns up as a visitor to your home at some stage," Ms Campbell said.
"I'm not confident that the prosecution case is as weak as being put in relation to that matter or indeed to possession or receiving a stolen property."
Ms Campbell said at the moment, what "we have more than anything of course is your words to what's happened and that's yet to be tested".
Priscina is charged with with aggravated robbery and riding or driving a stolen car to which she has not pleaded.
She faced court on January 11 when she was refused bail.
Both Priscina's and Brincau's cases are scheduled for court again in February.
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