Liam Brighton Sing pleads guilty to armed robbery, assault

Using a hoodie, surgical mask and gloves as a disguise, a 24-year-old went into a Bruce Highway fast food restaurant with a plan. However, workers quickly recognised the bandit as a regular customer.

A 24-year-old who robbed the Gympie McDonald’s before bashing a police officer and breaking his nose, will spend the next 11 months in jail.

Just after 10.30pm on August 16, 2020, Liam Brighton Sing walked into McDonald’s opposite Gympie Central Shopping Centre dressed in a hoodie, surgical mask and gloves.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark told the Gympie District Court on Monday that Sing then “waved a knife around” telling staff “I’m not f —king around here, give me all your money”.

He fled the restaurant with about $2000.

Despite his disguise, a number of employees who knew Sing identified him during the crime, Mr Stark said.

Police were called and one officer found Sing, who had changed into blue shorts and a long sleeved jersey, walking along a road near a former residence.

The court heard Sing “insisted he had done no wrong”, telling the officer not to approach as “he had Corona (Covid-19)” and was “just coming from my missus’s (place)”.

The officer placed Sing under arrest.

Liam Brighton Sing was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ jail, and will be eligible for parole in February 2023.

As the officer was trying to put him in his car, Sing pushed himself back, causing the officer to lose balance, the court heard.

A scuffle then broke out, during which Sing punched the officer “once or twice in the mouth” while yelling “f---- this, let me go, you C---”.

He then repeatedly uppercut punched the officer in the face before fleeing.

The officer was left with a broken nose, cut lip, bruised left hip, bruised right shin, swelling, and a concussion; he required surgery to fix his nose to fix a “significant reduction” in his ability to breathe.

A police dog squad was called in and Sing was tracked down to a nearby house.

Sing’s lawyer told the court her client was remorseful and had written letters of apology to the police officer and the manager of the McDonald’s restaurant.

She said a psychologists report on Sing found he had a “prejudicial upbringing”, and had been physically and sexually abused by his mother’s partners.

As a result he turned to substance abuse which further complicated his mental health issues, which included diagnoses of schizophrenia and manic depression.

He was suffering psychosis at the time of the crimes.

Sing pleaded guilty to armed robbery, grievous bodily harm.

He was on probation when he committed the robbery, having been convicted in 2019 of assaulting the father of this then girlfriend with a pickhandle.

Judge Glen Cash sentenced Sing to five-and-a-half years jail.

Sing will be eligible for parole in February 2023 having already served one year and seven months behind bars in pre-sentence custody.