Tomahawk servo hold-up

Robber was suffering from roid rage, court told

A TEENAGER was working alone in a Geelong service station when he was held up by a Torquay man with a tomahawk, a court has heard.

The robbery at the 7-Eleven on Latrobe Tce happened soon after 7am on May 14 last year, with Joshua Luke Smith getting away with $214.

Geelong County Court heard Smith spun the weapon in his hands so the 18-year-old attendant could see it, and said “I’m gonna need all your money”.

Having covered the numberplate of his sister’s car with duct tape, Smith sped from the scene, clocked at 139km/h by the fixed speed camera at the intersection of Latrobe Tce and Fyans St.

Police arrested him in the bedroom of his parents’ home days later, and he was put on a two-year community corrections order by Judge Susan Cohen yesterday after pleading guilty to armed robbery.

Smith, now 27, told police he had “roid rage” at the time of the hold-up after increasing dosages of his prescription medication without proper medical advice, but on the basis of online research.

Medical evidence described his condition as a “manic state” or “steroid induced mania”.

Judge Cohen said the defendant had a range of serious mental and physical health issues at that time that reduced his culpability for the crime and said, with no prior convictions, it was better to put him on a CCO than jail him.

She also allowed the man to keep his driving licence, noting that although 139km/h in a 70km/h zone would normally lead to a year-long ban, he hadn’t appeared before her on a driving charge, and she had discretion on the matter.

She also noted the man, a university accounting graduate, had strong family support, a new medication regimen and greater understanding of his mental health conditions.

“Joshua’s been very remorseful and teary, and has asked about the welfare of the victim,” the defendant’s father told her.

The judge said the 7-Eleven worker was a “soft target”, working on his own with cash in the early morning, and had not submitted a victim impact statement. “I have no doubt this was a frightening experience for him,” she said.