Kurbie Pearson, 32, wore a large hooded jacket to try to cover her face from CCTV cameras when she walked into the Wodonga shop at 6.10pm on July 23.

The woman went straight to the rear office and pried open the locked cupboard to steal $650 in cash.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Penny Lawler told Wodonga Magistrates Court on Tuesday that Pearson was a model Donut King employee for nine years, but stopped showing up for shifts during her last six months.

“She stated it was the co-accused (her partner) who made her commit the burglary to pay for his drug debt as he was under threat of being assaulted,” she said.

Pearson and her 34-year-old boyfriend were arrested after police raided their London Road home on July 29, but continued to offend.

They stole two Melbourne Storm jumpers worth $159 from Simple Indulgence on September 19, a $56 bottle of Jim Beam from Melrose Discount Cellars on September 21, and $223 worth of groceries from Arnold’s Fruit Market on September 28.

“She said she had a prescription medication addiction and the stolen items were used to trade or sell for drugs,” Leading Senior Constable Lawler said.

Magistrate Ian Watkins sentenced Pearson to a 12-month community corrections order, with the conditions she undergo drug rehabilitation and an offender behaviour program.

“This is a short, sharp period of offending in an otherwise exemplary life and that was underpinned by drugs,” he said.

Her boyfriend, who had a criminal history, had been sent to jail for his role in the crimes.

Barrister Sally Wilson said her client was a mother of three and had been a law-abiding citizen until drugs ruined her life.

“She is someone who, for the sake of her children, is trying to get off the drugs and has been clean for a couple of weeks,” she said.