Jason Outram sentenced for armed robbery of Townsville pharmacy
A convicted armed robber stole hundreds of dollars worth of medication meant for cancer patients – just hours after he’d been handed a suspended sentence.
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A convicted armed robber stole hundreds of dollars worth of medication meant for cancer patients – just hours after he’d been handed a suspended sentence.
Moments before robbing the Townsville pharmacy on September 28, 2021, an unsuspecting staff member allowed Jason Outram to buy a drink despite not having enough cash.
Townsville District Court heard that moments later, a knife-wielding Outram returned to the store with a note, demanding the staff member hand over oxycodone.
He donned a cap and sunglasses through the robbery in an “unsophisticated” attempt to disguise himself.
The court heard Outram ignored when the cash register was opened, and instead stole about $750 worth of pain medication – which he was told was to be used by cancer patients.
But his attempt at avoiding the law was short-lived, after he was identified on CCTV wearing the exact same clothes he’d worn in court earlier that day.
Crown prosecutor Tom Hancock told Judge Jennifer Rosengren the offence was one of the most “prompt” examples of a breach of suspended sentence they were likely to see.
The court heard Outram had previously been sentenced after the armed robbery of an Innisfail chemist back in 2010.
Defence barrister Ross Malcomson said his client had been addicted to opiate-based medications since he was 15-years-old after being introduced to the drugs from “older men” while working on fishing trawlers.
He said Outram had then been diagnosed with a back condition which had increased his use of the medication, spiralling him “further out of control”.
As to why Outram had committed the offence, Mr Malcomson said his client had an argument with their teenage child earlier that day and decided to “prove her right” by robbing the pharmacy.
He described the offending as “unsophisticated and doomed to failure”.
Outram was sentenced to five years jail for the robbery, with 300 days declared as time served.
A parole eligibility date was set in July, 2023.
Originally published as Jason Outram sentenced for armed robbery of Townsville pharmacy
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