Former truckie Carl Steffan Blake told to ‘have a seat’ after brandishing knife at bank worker

An unemployed former truckie walked into a bank with a knife and told the teller he was going to rob it. What happened next was something he did not expect.

An unemployed former truckie who walked into a bank with a knife only to be told to “take a seat” while the police were called, has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his mother while out on bail.

Carl Steffan Blake pleaded guilty in Adelaide District Court to the charges of threatening to kill and breaching bail when he contacted his mother on February 13.

The court heard Blake was previously charged with affray when he walked into an unnamed SA bank armed with a knife and “expressed the views to the teller” that he “wanted to rob the bank”.

However the teller instead asked Blake “to be seated”, which he did so patiently, “while the bank ensured its staff were safe and called the police”.

Blake was charged with affray and while on bail for that offence, committed the further charges against his mother.

Judge Simon Stretton said Blake sent threatening text messages to his mother on February 13, saying he was “going to murder (her)”.

“You then rang the police to inform them of that and they attended your property,” Judge Stretton said.

“You said you were feeling agitated and were going to murder them because your mother had got into your head and that you were not feeling right and you were feeling sick.

“You showed the police the text message to your mother which said, ‘I am coming to murder you’.”

The court heard police spoke with Blake’s mother following the messages and she indicated she did not believe her son was capable of following through with the threat.

Blake had a “very difficult childhood”, the court heard, leading him to leave school halfway through year 12 and eventually develop persistent depressive disorder, severe alcohol use disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Judge Stretton said despite this Blake had enjoyed “a fairly good employment history” over the course of his adult life.

“(You were) working as a truck driver for most of the last decade,” Judge Stretton said.

“Unfortunately, your alcoholism has resulted in your licence now being lost until you can convince the department that you have beaten your alcoholism, which means you are currently unemployed.”

Judge Stretton sentenced Blake to a good behaviour bond of three years for the offending and he will be required to perform 300 hours of community service during that time.

As a condition of that bond, Blake will be required to submit to regular drug and alcohol testing.

Blake will be sentenced for his affray charge, relating to the attempted bank hold up, at a later date. He was not charged with any robbery offence.