Robbery attempt bust

Machete wielding man scared off as servo staffer screams

A young man made an attempt at robbing a convenience store with a machete, but his plan unravelled when a brave employee jumped up on the counter and yelled at the man to leave.

Shay-reece Foster appeared in Townsville District Court recently after he was arrested for a violent robbery attempt at Night Owl in Kirwan.

Crown prosecutor Danielle Kooke said the 20-year-old attended the convenience store on June 19 last year, where he had originally asked the employee for a packet of Rothman Red 50s.

When the employee turned his back to grab the cigarettes, the young man pulled out a machete he had kept in his pants.

“(Foster) pointed the machete at (the victim) who jumped back from the counter,” Ms Kooke said.

“He pointed it at the till and demanded all the money.

“(Foster) then pointed the machete at the man … he began to grab some money but then decided to jump up and yell very loudly, which startled (Foster) who ran down the street.”

The prosecutor said police found the attempted robber in Charters Towers on July 14 and, upon his arrest, made admission to the offence.

“He became visibly distressed and said ‘I’m so sorry for doing it, I didn’t even want to do it, it was dumb,” Ms Kooke told the court.

Defence barrister Ross Malcolmson said Foster’s partner “tragically” gave birth to their son two months before the offending, thus the young man not having spent much time in his son’s life.

“Thankfully his child won’t have memory of his absence,” he said.

“His concerns with not having a relationship with his child was the catalyst for this offending. He appreciates this offending is no way to be a father.”

Judge John Coker queried if there had been any substance abuse involved.

“The short answer is no, he wasn’t on drugs or alcohol,” Mr Malcolmson said.

Judge Coker replied, “So it’s as he put it, just dumb”.

“You used the ploy of asking for cigarettes and when distracted you withdrew a machete and made threats,” Judge Coker said. “You’ve stepped into the big leagues in the nature of your offending.”

Foster pleaded guilty to attempted robbery while armed.

He was sentenced to two years’ jail, with an immediate parole release date.