Teenage armed robber in court

A TEENAGER robbed a former friend of his phone and wallet at knifepoint in an opportunistic theft, with a court told if he were to be presented with the same circumstances he would “probably” do the same thing in the future.

The now 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fronted the Children’s Court of Queensland in Toowoomba where he pleaded guilty to armed robbery in company.

The court was told that the teenager was 17 at the time when on the afternoon of May 25, 2021, he was walking along a Toowoomba street with two others when he came upon the 18-year-old victim and another man.

Acting for the Crown prosecution, Peter Blake-Segovia told the court the pair was known to each other, with some “animosity” between the pair.

After first exchanging pleasantries the teenager recognised who he was talking to, and the court was told the teenager then pulled out a flick knife and demanded to the victim “give me all your s..t”.

The victim handed over his phone, which he had purchased earlier that day for $249, as well as his wallet.

One of the defendant’s associates then attempted to rob the man the victim was with, but the teenager intervened and stopped his associate from taking anything.

Mr Blake-Segovia said the teenager was arrested the following day and spent 43 days in detention on remand.

Referencing a pre-sentence report undertaken on the teenager, Mr Blake-Segovia said his attitude to the offending indicated he had “no remorse”.

“If presented with the same set of circumstances he would more than likely commit the offence again,” Mr Blake-Segovia said.

The teenager’s barrister Troy Newman characterised the offence as “opportunistic”, and that while he and the victim were once very close friends their relationship had soured to the point that they were now enemies.

Mr Newman said while it was concerning that a knife was used in the robbery, and described the incident as “poor decision making” on his client’s behalf, he had also prevented another robbery.

The court was told the teenager had been diagnosed with a number of mental health conditions, including autism, reactive attachment disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, which was characterised by sudden outbursts of anger and violence.

Judge Michael Byrne QC sentenced the teenager to nine months detention, suspended in order for the teen to undergo a three month conditional release order.

No convictions were recorded.