A drug-affected man who terrorised a pregnant shop employee with a machete and a replica pistol has been sentenced to seven years and three months' jail.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Albert Frederick Riley, 23, of Summerhill, committed three counts of armed robbery on January 9 and 10 this year at the Top Shop Waverley, BWS Sunny Hill at Ravenswood and Kmart.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Justice Robert Pearce told Launceston Supreme Court on Friday that Riley may have received 10-and-a-half years jail, but he taken into account his early guilty plea.
"They are disturbing crimes and the trauma felt by the victims must be reflected in sentencing," he said.
Justice Pearce said the crimes had a terrifying and traumatising effect on the victims.
"The fact that the pistol was a toy made little difference, they were not to know that it wasn't real," he said.
"You pointed the pistol at the bottle shop attendant in a menacing and aggressive way and the shop attendant with a pistol and a very large knife."
Justice Pearce said victim impact statements showed the 24-year-old pregnant woman and the bottle shop attendant were still badly affected.
He sentenced Riley to five months' jail for evading police and reckless driving after the robberies when he ran into a truck in Penquite Road.
Riley was a serious risk to others and to himself on the road, the court heard.
"It was exacerbated by the fact you were affected by methylamphetamine at the time and you were fleeing from police," Justice Pearce said.
Riley is not eligible for parole until he has served four years of the sentence.
The court heard the facts of the robberies on Thursday.
About 3.35pm on January 10, Riley entered the Top Shop at Waverley.
He was armed with a toy pistol and brandishing a machete when he demanded cash and cigarettes.
The shop attendant pleaded with Riley not to hurt her and handed him $816 in cash and $4000 worth of cigarettes.
When he left Riley said: "What I want you to do now is close your eyes and count to 10".
"Have a good one."
The footage showed her run to the back of the store and scream in distress.
About half an hour earlier, Riley went to the BWS at Sunny Hill, Ravenswood, and robbed it of $150 cash and a 10 pack of Jack Daniels.
CCTV footage showed him pull a toy pistol from his trousers and point it at the male shop assistant who was holding his hands in the air. He told him to count to 10 and left.
About 10.25pm on January 9, Riley and another man went to the Kmart and stole items worth about $600.
When asked by a security guard if he had paid for the items Riley pulled a 10-centimetre knife and pointed it at him.
Ms Jones said that after the Waverley robbery, Riley had been driving from Punchbowl Road into Amy Road when police spotted his Toyota Camry and activated lights and siren.
"[He] crossed to the incorrect side of the road and then when he attempted to cross back to the correct side of the road the back of the Camry swerved and he crossed back across the road and crashed into a truck," Ms Jones said.
Riley was trapped in the vehicle on Penquite Road and the court heard that he nearly killed himself in the crash..
He pleaded guilty to evading police under aggravated circumstances - a crime which requires a separate sentence.
He also pleaded guilty to numerous driving charges including reckless driving and driving with an illicit substance (methylamphetamine) in his blood.
He was arrested when he arrived back in Tasmania on January 24.
