Brothers admit robbery charge

Court

Two brothers have admitted robbing a fish’n’chip shop.

Damien and Jackson Morrismorley both pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to robbing Chelwood Takeaways.

Damien Morris-morley was 19 when the robbery of the Takaro, Palmerston North, shop took place on December 9 at 6.35pm.

He had his face covered and a claw hammer in his hand when he stormed into the store, frightening the husband-and-wife owners and a female customer.

He jumped the counter and tried to open the till himself, before ordering the female store owner to do it.

He took $150 from the till before bolting out the door, running past his younger brother, Jackson Morris-morley, who was busy trying to disguise his face.

Although the store had no CCTV installed at the time, other security cameras in the neighbourhood showed the pair in the area at the time of the robbery.

They admitted everything when they were arrested.

Judge Lance Rowe convicted both of them and gave first strikes under the three-strikes law for violent offenders.

He also asked for psychological reports to be prepared before they are sentenced in April.

Corrections will investigate the possibility of electronically monitored sentences, but the judge said that was no indication of what the final sentence would be.