A woman accused of armed robbery and hijacking a taxi just six days after being convicted of a similar offence has been refused bail.
April Faith Alice Power-Smith, 24, of Leichhardt, appeared via videolink in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday and represented herself in her bail application.
Power-Smith has spent the previous four months on remand after being charged with one count each of deprivation of liberty and armed robbery in company.
The court heard Power-Smith on September 5, 2023 at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, allegedly used a flick knife to threaten a 37-year-old male taxi driver.
The taxi driver told police that Power-Smith produced the weapon and demanded he drive through Ipswich after he refused to take her and three other passengers to an additional stop.
"You are going to take us. I know how to hijack a car," Power-Smith allegedly said.
After the driver failed to alert a passing police car using his headlights, Power-Smith and her companions allegedly demanded money and took $40 before exiting the taxi.
On August 30, 2023 Power-Smith had been released from court on a suspended sentence after being convicted of threatening a driver with a metal pole and stealing his vehicle.
Crown prosecutor Sam Knight on Thursday opposed granting bail, saying Power-Smith presented an unacceptable risk of reoffending.
Power-Smith told the court that she pulled out the knife only because she feared for her safety.
"I'm not a bad person. I made a bad decision," Power-Smith said.
She said CCTV from inside the taxi would prove she did not take part in the robbery but she and prosecutors had yet to receive a copy of the video.
Justice Tom Sullivan said he had to make a decision based on the material before him.
"Nonetheless, you produced a flick knife, opened it and pointed it at somebody," he said.
Justice Sullivan denied bail and told Power-Smith she should talk to a legal representative and obtain a copy of the taxi CCTV video before applying again.
