A young man who robbed a pizza delivery driver while armed with a cap gun has been handed a wholly suspended prison sentence and warned he will likely be locked up if he reoffends.
Kye David McLaughlin pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated armed robbery over the crime, committed on July 9, 2022, when he was 19.
McLaughlin and a 16-year-old accomplice ordered a Domino’s pizza to a false address near where McLaughlin was staying.
When the 18-year-old driver arrived around 10pm with the order and a cash float of about $250, the pair approached her wearing bandanas and hoods.
McLaughlin was carrying a metal cap gun, while his accomplice had a kitchen-style knife.
The accomplice told the driver, “Hi, we are robbing you”, before the pair took the food and cash and fled.
Police later recovered the bags from a nearby bin and the cap gun from McLaughlin’s unit.
McLaughlin denied any involvement when interviewed, maintaining he had never left the house, even after police told him his accomplice had admitted to the robbery.
The driver, who was then in Year 12, was unable to continue working and her studies suffered, affecting her university plans.
She has since experienced anxiety and panic attacks.
In the Supreme Court last month, Justice Tamara Jago noted McLaughlin had pleaded guilty only three working days before his trial was due to start.
“In my view the value to be attributed to it, is quite minimal, given the protracted history of this matter and the late plea,” Justice Jago said.
She said McLaughlin, now 24, had stable accommodation and a supportive partner and had stopped using methamphetamine and MDMA, though he was still struggling to give up cannabis.
McLaughlin was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years, plus an 18-month community correction order with drug, alcohol and mental health conditions.
