Central Qld teen in court for Lionleigh Pub armed robbery, school burglary

A victim of a violent armed robbery has described the ordeal as a “harrowing” – and he wasn’t the only one to suffer at the hands of his car-stealing, glass smashing teen attackers that day.

generic pub image. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

A teenage boy has been sentenced over two violent robberies where multiple people were hurt and property badly damaged.

During the sentencing of a 17-year-old, Rockhampton District Court heard a group of young males started their violent spree at a Central Queensland school, preying on a 73-year-old man and his wife in her 30s, targeting them for their car.

Crown prosecutor Arielle Spiteri told the court at least four males took part in a “home invasion type” attack at Woorabinda where they stole a Kia Picanto, drove it to Rockhampton and went on to carry out an armed robbery at The Lionleigh Pub in Wandal.

The victims of the first offence were cleaning out a unit at the Wadja Wadja High School when they were approached by the 17-year-old and a co-offender and asked for cigarettes.

The victims gave the boys $5 and they left.

Judge Jeff Clarke said what followed seemed to be a clear plan in order to steal the couple’s car.

Woorinbinda . Wadja Wadja high school .

The boys returned in the afternoon with others and asked for water.

“As that occurred and it was being passed through the door, all three pushed their way into the house,” Ms Spiteri said.

She said the male victim was pushed so hard, he was lifted off his feet and he slid across the floor.

“One of the offenders punched him two or three times to the back of the head,” Ms Spiteri said, telling the court that while the victim was struggling with one offender, another was trying to reach into his pockets.

Ms Spiteri said the second offender then joined in punching the victim and struck him several times with a broom.

His wife tried to come to his aid, but she was pushed to the ground by one of the offenders before she ran into a bedroom and hid.

“One of the offenders chased her, eventually kicked the door down,” Ms Spiteri said.

“She was calling out of the bedroom window for help and one of (the boys) yelled out to ‘go and shut her down’,” Judge Clarke said.

The bedroom door was kicked in by one of the boys and that boy pulled her away from the window and pushed her to her stomach, knocking her to the ground, winding her and standing over her.

“The lady was very shaken,” Judge Clarke said.

“She had fingernail scratch marks throughout the body, arm, chest; swollen left eye, pain to her hips, rib and bottom lower abdomen.

“She had severe pain to her lower stomach area, and she found blood in her underwear.

“Thankfully she was found to have suffered only musculoskeletal injury.”

Her husband had a cut inside his mouth and felt sore on the side of his body.

As the boys were running out of the unit, another man who lived there used a mop handle to strike one in the back.

That man chased after the car as the boys drove off in it.

They turned up at The Lionleigh Pub about midnight and it was closed.

“Two of the workers were still inside completing their end of shift procedures,” Ms Spiteri said.

The 17-year-old remained in the stolen car while three others tried to break into the bottle shop.

When the workers when to investigate, one of the boys took up a fighting stance.

As the workers retreated back into the pub, the three boys pushed on the door, and one punched a victim several times in the arm.

Another threw a bottle at the glass panels and then the 17-year-old exited the vehicle and threw two full glass bottles of rum at the glass panels, smashing them.

One of the glass bottles almost struck one of the victims.

The other three offenders used a hammer to smash their way into the pub and stole various items while the victims locked themselves in the office and called police.

The offenders left with eight bottles of Vodka Cruisers, several lighters and one of the victim’s backpacks.

Ms Spiteri said one of the pub victims, who described the experience as “harrowing” and he wanted to forget about it, had cuts to their arms and the other, who has a pacemaker, suffered chest pain.

She said for the victim with the pacemaker, “the stress could have had fatal consequences for them”.

Ms Spiteri said the presentence report for the teen, who has an extensive juvenile recording starting when he was 11 and spent more than half of the period between August 2021 and December 2023 in youth detention, was positive and he now had good prospects of rehabilitation.

“He has expressed that this was a wakeup call and he’s motivated to stay out of trouble,” she said.

“He’s reported to have experienced feelings of shame at his offending, particularly at the violence that was used against the female victim.”

Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client had grown up exposed to criminal behaviour and has distanced himself from anti-social peers since his release from detention 11 months ago.’

She said he had obtained work mowing lawns and was looking to a career in landscaping.

The court heard the boy had also been exposed to suicide, poverty, inhalants and overcrowding.

Judge Clarke noted the child had abused substances to such an extent that he had been hospitalised twice due to seizures from chroming.

The boy pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary in company with property damage, serious assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, unlawful use of a motor vehicle to commit an indictable offence, armed robbery in company with personal violence.

He was sentenced to 10 months in youth detention, wholly suspended and placed on a conditional release order for six months.

No convictions were recorded.