A 14-year-old boy who terrorised Launceston bottle shops during a three-week armed robbery spree has been sentenced to 12 months detention, with half of the term suspended.
The teenager, who came to Australia as a refugee seven years ago, pleaded guilty to four armed robberies across the city between February and March this year.
His crime spree began on February 22 when he entered a bottle shop armed with a knife and threatened to stab a staff member who asked him to leave. He fled with stolen drinks.
The next day, he struck again with an accomplice, threatening a store attendant and a female customer with pliers while stealing $160 worth of alcohol.
Despite being arrested and released on bail in early March, the teen carried out two more robberies on March 12 – just 10 minutes apart.
In the final incident, he and another youth stormed a liquor store with their faces covered, brandishing a knife and yelling “get down, get the f–k down” at customers and staff.
They threatened an elderly woman who tried to film them and escaped with $133 worth of liquor before being caught by police shortly afterwards.
Justice Michael Brett noted the severity of the offences while sentencing the boy under the Youth Justice Act last week.
“The crimes were very serious and there is no other suitable alternatives than some period in detention,” he said.
“You may not completely understand just how harmful your actions were but threatening people in this way with a weapon can and often does cause very significant and ongoing harm to them.”
“At least one person threatened by you has provided an impact statement describing the very severe impact from your actions.”
The judge acknowledged reports describing the teen as “essentially a good person with lots of potential” who is “easily led and influenced by others”.
However, he expressed concern about the teenager’s inability to match his words with actions.
“… You do not live up to the promises you make about your conduct,” Justice Brett said.
The sentence was backdated to August 20, with an earliest release date of November 20, 2025. No conviction was recorded due to his age.
The boy was also ordered to pay $489.10 in compensation to the four bottle shops targeted in the robberies.
