Jayden Mitchell Skelt sentenced in Maroochydore District Court

A teenager who stopped to help a group of strangers at a Sunshine Coast petrol station was promised drugs for the random act of kindness. Then everything took a chilling turn.

Jayden Mitchell Skelt. Picture: Facebook

An 18-year-old man was lured to a secluded spot after being offered drugs by a group of strangers he stopped to help at a Sunshine Coast petrol station before he was robbed at gunpoint, a court has been told.

Jayden Mitchell Skelt, 31, appeared in Maroochydore District Court on Monday, November 27, where he was sentenced over his role in the crime and an earlier, unrelated incident in Brisbane City on April 10, 2022, where he was caught with a used “crack pipe”, 6.4 grams of meth and two knives.

Crown prosecutor Madalyn Olivero told the court Skelt and three others were having car trouble at a Glenview petrol station on May 6, 2023, when they were approached by an 18-year-old man who offered to help.

The group offered the 18-year-old marijuana in return for his assistance and asked him to follow them to a secluded area in Landsborough.

Jayden Mitchell Skelt. Picture: Facebook

Ms Olivero said once the teenager arrived at the secluded location, a gel blaster was held to his head while the group demanded his phone and a gold chain around his neck.

The court was told the teenager believed the gel blaster was a real gun and genuinely feared for his life.

The teen handed everything over as the group demanded his name and took his photo, threatening to hurt him if he went to the police.

Ms Olivero said Skelt later took $250 from the teenager’s bank account.

The teen reported the incident to police shortly after.

Ms Olivero said a car driven by the group of men was later found at a Kawana Waters hotel carpark, and one of the men involved in the robbery was seen in the lobby with the stolen chain around his neck.

Skelt was found in the hotel room and denied any involvement in the matter, but the teenager’s phone was found in his possession.

Ms Olivero said Skelt claimed to not know who the phone belonged to.

Barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown tendered a letter of apology from Skelt to the court and noted he had the support of his family in the courtroom.

Maroochydore Court House. Picture: Patrick Woods.

He said his client had been battling a drug addiction at the time of the offences, but had since made “significant steps forward”.

This included completion of a drug and alcohol rehab program.

He said Skelt had a traumatic childhood and teenage years but did not go into detail.

Skelt did not want to return to prison after he was allegedly assaulted in custody. A formal complaint over the incident was never made.

Skelt pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing dangerous drugs, two charges of possessing property used in a drug offence, armed robbery in company, fraud, possessing used drug utensils, possessing property acquired for the purpose of a drug offence and unlawful possession of a weapon.

He was sentenced to six months behind bars with immediate parole. The 182 days he spent in presentence custody was declared time served.

Convictions were recorded.