Half-naked and swinging a tree branch: Jaden Dean Jeffs’ reason for epic fail servo robbery

A young Ipswich man has revealed the reason he robbed a Goodna service station half-naked, while brandishing a stick in what was a criminal comedy of errors.

A Goodna man has fronted court for drunkenly robbing a service station after finding out he would not be spending Christmas with his son.

Jaden Dean Jeffs, 19, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on September 26, 2022, to armed robbery.

The court heard the offence occurred on the evening of December 23, 2021, after Jeffs’ former partner told him he would not be seeing his child on Christmas Day.

CCTV footage was played in court showing Jeffs, wearing nothing but what appeared to be a pair of red underwear, using a tree branch to try and force his way into a Goodna service station around 11.30pm.

He threw the branch at the glass door, then attempted to punch and kick it.

Unable to break through, Jeffs approached the cashier – and only other person present – from the outside night window.

He banged on the glass, told her “give me all the money, I’m going through a tough time,” and the woman handed over approximately $277.

He told her not to call the police, threatening that he might come back with friends, and ran away.

Jaden Dean Jeffs, sentenced in Ipswich District Court for armed robbery. Picture: Facebook

Judge Dennis Lynch noted that Jeffs had dropped some of the money as he ran away “perhaps because of [his] intoxicated state”.

The cashier called the police, who arrested and interviewed Jeffs in January, and Jeffs made admissions to being the man in the CCTV footage.

Crown prosecutor Connor Lovett said “this certainly would have been a distressing experience for the complainant, who was simply just trying to do her job”.

Defence barrister Stephen Kissick emphasised that Jeffs was very young and lacked criminal history.

He said Jeffs was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offending, and was distressed that he wouldn’t be able to see his son for Christmas.

Judge Dennis Lynch noted the offending was serious, as “[the cashier] was entitled to feel safe at her job … Store attendants such as the complainant are vulnerable, and you took advantage of that vulnerability”.

He said the robbery was, however, on the lower end of seriousness compared with many that came before the court as Jeffs hadn’t actually entered the store or threatened the cashier with the branch.

Jeffs was sentenced to two years of probation, and no convictions were recorded.