CALGARY -- An AIDS-suffering crack addict with a "truly tragic" past was sentence yesterday to 30 months in prison for trying to rob a convenience store.

Provincial court Judge Barb Veldhuis accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence lawyers to send Christy Marie Gebhard to a federal penitentiary.

"Ms. Gebhard when I read the pre-sentence report this morning I must say I felt quite sad on your behalf," Veldhuis said.

The report detailed a life in and out of foster homes and an addiction to crack cocaine which led the Calgary woman to commit a series of crimes to feed her habit.

Her most serious offence was an attempted robbery at a Mac's store last June 4, in which a knife-wielding Gebhard tried to get a clerk to give her $30 to buy crack, Crown prosecutor Sarah Bhola said.

A male friend pulled her from the store before she got any cash, Bhola said.

Defence counsel Harry Van Harten said his client, 33, has led a hard life.

"Obviously, my client's personal circumstances are not just difficult, but truly tragic since the day she was born," Van Harten said.

"It's a classic example of what happens when one is in and out of (foster) care ... and along the way picks up an addiction."

Van Harten said Gebhard, who sat in the prisoner's box wiping away tears, had hoped the Pathways to Housing organization would have supported her wish for a community-based sentence.

"They will be there to support her once she reaches a post-release stage," he said.