Nigel Fossey jailed for brandishing syringe during Paralowie Subway robbery

A man who brandished a syringe at a teenage Subway worker then rang police to dob himself in.

A father who brandished a syringe at a teenage worker during a robbery dobbed himself in to police after good Samaritans stopped him in the act.

Nigel Paul Fossey, 45, is behind bars after he told police he had done “something silly” – at the same time as he claimed he had been assaulted by the three men who caught him.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Fossey entered the Paralowie Subway store on January 13 and brandished a syringe at a 15-year-old employee.

Fossey demanded staff open the till, before he came through the counter door and pulled the till out.

The shift manager pursued Fossey on foot after he fled on a pushbike with the till.

After she lost sight of him, the manager spoke to three men in a nearby carpark who offered to go after him.

Nigel Fossey was jailed for brandishing a syringe during the robbery. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray

As she was making her way back to the store, the manager heard the three men yell “we’ve got it” and returned the till back to her which contained all the stolen money.

Fossey then called police and reported that he had been assaulted by the men.

“When police questioned you about what had happened, you admitted to them ‘I did something silly’,” Judge Emily Telfer said.

Fossey was taken to hospital after suffering injuries, including a split lip.

The Blakeview father-of-two pleaded guilty to robbery.

In her victim impact statement, the 15-year-old worker said it was her first part-time job and the robbery left her feeling unsafe and vulnerable at work.

“She is now prone to panic attacks and experiences flashbacks and nightmares about your offending,” Judge Telfer said

“Mr Fossey, it must have been clear to you in selecting a target like Subway that you would encounter very little resistance because you were terrorising young people in the early stages of their working lives.”

The court heard Fossey was coming down off heroin at the time of the offending and was greatly remorseful for the “spur of the moment” robbery.

“Your motivation was your need for money to keep your accommodation and provide for your daughter,” Judge Telfer said.

“However, you were also motivated to secure money for drugs.”

Judge Telfer sentenced Fossey to four years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and six months.

Originally published as Nigel Fossey jailed for brandishing syringe during Paralowie Subway robbery