A Tasmanian teenager who held up a liquor store with a 20-centimetre knife has avoided jail, in what a judge described as a final opportunity before he turns 18.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, walked into a Newstead bottle shop on July 8 wearing a mask and threatened a shop attendant with the knife before stealing $691 worth of alcohol.
He later told police he wanted the alcohol ‘to get drunk’.
Supreme Court Justice Michael Brett this month sentenced the boy to six months’ detention, wholly suspended for 18 months and chose not to record a conviction.
“I could have easily sentenced you to a period of imprisonment but I am not going to do so,” Justice Brett said.
He said he was using the Youth Justice Act to give the teenager “one last chance” before adulthood, which is just weeks away.
The court heard the boy has already racked up a lengthy criminal record despite his age.
He was placed on probation just a fortnight before the armed robbery for multiple burglary and stealing offences.
A pre-sentence report revealed ongoing struggles with drugs and alcohol, an ADHD diagnosis and a history of disruption at school.
But Justice Brett said there were still reasons for optimism, noting there were many “good things going” for the young man.
“You have a supportive family and according to the report, you are intelligent, have the capacity for leadership and can be respectful and thoughtful,” he said.
“In short, if you decide to use these attributes in a positive way, you have the potential to make a real success of your life.”
The judge warned that retail workers subjected to knife-point robberies often suffered lasting trauma.
“This man was simply at work doing his job and it was appalling to subject him to conduct which was dangerous and very threatening,” Justice Brett said.
He made clear the consequences if the teenager reoffends as an adult.
“If you did this as an adult – and that is in about a month’s time – you would be facing a lengthy term of imprisonment,” he said.
The boy must report to a youth justice worker, stay out of trouble and pay $691 in compensation to Liquorland.
