Ice debt fuelled hold-up

ARMED robber Martin Yip held up a friend at knifepoint in a Woree service station so he could clear a drug debt.

Yip, then 22, was not expecting his friend to be working the night of April 22 when he stormed in with wearing a hat, balaclava and hooded sweatshirt, but he needed cash to pay the dealers who had supplied him with ice.

He flung a bag on the counter and waved a silver kitchen knife at the attendant.

“Don’t f*** around, fill the bag,” he said.

Yip fled the station on foot toward Rigg St and dumped the clothing in a creek. Later that night he played the pokies.

When police searched his Bentley Park address they found stolen registration plates and a bong. Yip confessed shortly after.

He appeared in Cairns District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to armed robbery, stealing and possession of a utensil.

Defending barrister James Sheridan told the court his client had racked up a drug debt after heavily using methylamphetamine. He was high on the drug when he robbed the petrol station.

Mr Sheridan told the court his client had fallen in with the wrong crowd after the death of his grandfather.

Judge Dean Morzone said Yip had targeted a vulnerable member of the community.

“They often work alone,” Judge Morzone said. “They are a target for those who need to get money in a very quick way … here, to fund your drug dependency.”

Given Yip’s time in custody and relatively clean record, Judge Morzone did not think further prison time was called for. He jailed Yip for 13 months including 216 days time served and released him on parole.