Teen in terrifying milk bar holdup
DRAMATIC vision has emerged of the moment an Ocean Grove teenager robbed his local milk bar at gunpoint.
Jake Fry, 18, pointed an imitation handgun at two female shopkeepers inside the Madeley St store on the afternoon of November 29, 2018.
Security footage played to the County Court yesterday showed one woman flee in terror, while the other cowered on the ground covering her head.
Wearing sunglasses and a hat, Fry unsuccessfully tried to access the store’s till before he turned his attention to a cupboard containing tobacco, eventually fleeing with a tray of cigarette packets worth up to $2000.
The court heard one of the female victims recognised Fry as a regular customer at the milk bar and she told his father about the incident after spotting him later that day.
Fry, now 19, was sentenced to a 266-day jail term yesterday after pleading guilty to armed robbery.
With time already served, Fry was released from custody, but must undergo a 12-month corrections order that requires him to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work.
Crown prosecutor Gary Hevey said Fry’s actions during the armed robbery had “terrified” the victims, though the pair had declined to provide victim impact statements.
The apprentice roof tiler was in the store for more than three minutes when he took a gun from a bag and charged towards the counter.
Mr Hevey said the weapon used in the incident was never recovered. Fry told police it was a toy handgun that he had spray painted black.
The former Bellarine Secondary College student had a number of supporters in court, including his parents and local minister of religion.
Defence barrister John Lavery said Fry had been abusing drugs since he was 15 and decided to target the milk bar to finance his addiction.
Mr Lavery said while the robbery was serious, there were signs it was unsophisticated.
“The choice of a local milk bar indicates a very low-level plan,” he said.
“There’s no accomplices. There's no getaway vehicle. The execution, in my submission, was poor.”
The court heard Fry had aspirations to join the Australian Defence Force, but Mr Hevey
— a colonel in the Army Reserve — said the teenager would face difficulty being accepted given his time in jail.
Judge Sandra Davis told Fry he should be conscious of the effect his actions had had on the two shopkeepers.
“You must never forget that your offending was serious and your victims were terrified,” she said.
But Judge Davis said she accepted Fry was remorseful, adding that he was “lucky” to have the support of his family.
As part of his sentence, Fry must undergo drug treatment and rehabilitation programs as directed by Corrections Victoria.