Man robbed adult store with hammer, used money to buy ice

Robbing an adult store with a hammer was the final nail in the coffin for a South Mackay man with a chequered criminal history.

Aisa Charles Albert Munro, 24, faced Mackay Magistrates Court. Picture: Facebook

ROBBING an adult store with a hammer was the final 'nail in the coffin' for a South Mackay man with a chequered criminal history.

Aisa Charles Albert Munro pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including eight burglary charges, an armed robbery charge dating to December 11, 2017 and a breach of a domestic violence order, in Mackay District Court yesterday.

The 24-year-old, who was 23 at the time of the offences, stole a number of electronic devices from a kindergarten; $2500 worth of cigarettes from a takeaway store; stole three tills from Burger Urge with $600 in them; broke into Let the Children Play toy store, where he started a small fire by using a lighter finding his way out and stole $4 from a collection tin; stealing $40 from another collection tin at the Mackay Tennis Association; and robbing his ex-partner's workplace, an adult store.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso played CCTV footage to the court which showed Munro entering the adult store wearing white gloves, a spray jacket with its hood up and a t-shirt across his face, and sneaking around before interacting with his ex-partner, ripping the till drawer out and leaving the shop.

"You demanded that the till be opened... one can see she struggled to get that till open and in a short time you ripped it away from the cords and took it out of the shop. You yielded $887.95,” Judge Brian Devereaux said.

Two tip-offs to Crimestoppers resulted in Munro's capture.

"Police were given a tip-off and executed a warrant where you lived at your family home on December 12. You left when you were aware police were arriving ... on December 13 you were arrested ... you made frank admissions to the police,” Judge Devereaux said.

"You also told the police you were desperate for amphetamines and that's why you committed all your offences...You used some of the money to obtain drugs and you bought Christmas presents with the rest, you told the police.”

Over the period of the robbery, the court was told, Munro hadn't slept for 10 days and was using one to two points of ice a day, as well as cannabis. Police unearthed clothes from the robbery, Munro's drawstring backpack, 0.63g of ice and a pipe at his house prior to the arrest.

Ms Kelso noted a lengthy criminal history, four pages of charges, including drugs and property offences.

She said he had failed to engage with drug and domestic violence courses while on probation.

Munro was sentenced to a total of four years. He will be eligible for parole on April 19, 2019, with 224 days already served behind bars.

Originally published as Man robbed adult store with hammer, used money to buy ice