A man has been jailed after he and a friend tried to rob French tourists at South Launceston while wielding a replica gun and a pogo stick.
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Billy Galvin Gordon Riley, 24, and Brereton "Bob" James Jones concealed their identities before demanding cash from a couple who were inspecting a car they saw for sale on Gumtree.
The men were armed with a replica gun and one of them grabbed a pogo stick from the front yard of the house, threatened their victims and demanded cash.
During sentencing, Chief Justice Alan Blow said the two men repeatedly asked for "drug money" from their victims, making it possible they had mistaken the tourists for someone else.
The lack of getaway plan was also raised by the Chief Justice, with Jones calling a friend for a lift from the property after the failed robbery.
Chief Justice Blow said the pair's only other means to escape prior to that was on the pogo stick.
The attempted robbery happened in October 2017 on Chantel Dance's driveway after the French tourists took the car she was selling for a test drive.
The tourists were speaking to Ms Dance at the top of her driveway about the Subaru Forester when two masked men - Riley and Jones - appeared.
But Riley and Jones were forced to leave empty-handed after the French woman said they had no money to give.
During sentencing submissions, defence lawyer Patrick O'Halloran said Riley's ice use was a contributing factor to his offending.
The court heard Riley's mother and sister were very supportive of him, but his father had not been part of Riley's immediate life because he was in prison.
The French tourists did not give evidence at Riley's trial, nor did they supply victim impact statements, but Chief Justice Blow said it was clear from their police statements the attempted robbery had an impact on the husband.
"The husband feared for their safety," Chief Justice Blow said.
The wife told police she'd grown up in a tough city of France so was OK, but she was scared for her husband.
"Doing something like that can result in terrible psychiatric consequences for those held up," Chief Justice Blow said.
A jury found Riley guilty of attempted aggravated armed robbery after a Launceston Supreme Court trial in May.
Riley was sentenced to 16 months' jail, backdated to March 21 of this year.
He will be eligible for parole after serving eight months.
Chief Justice Blow ordered the pogo stick be returned to Ms Dance.
