Aradam Mokonen Siyum sentenced after dragging woman across car park

A teen has been sentenced after a Logan shopping centre’s cameras caught him dragging a woman across the car park while wearing a mask before robbing her and leaving her hospitalised.

Teen robber sentenced for masked attack hospitalising woman

A teen has been sentenced after a Logan shopping centre’s cameras caught him dragging a woman across the car park before robbing her and leaving her hospitalised.

Aradam Mokonen Siyum, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery at Beenleigh District Court on May 17.

The court heard Siyum approached the woman from behind while she was putting her trolley away at Grand Plaza Shopping Centre at Browns Plains.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said Siyum, who was 19-years-old at the time, dragged the woman the length of a car across the ground while she clung to her handbag.

“The woman was taken by ambulance to hospital with pain in her neck and shoulders, she had recently undergone surgery were a rod had been placed in her neck and her spine had been fused,” he said.

“Photographs showed bruising on her fingers and scans revealed minor soft tissue swelling.

“She missed six weeks of work as a result of the attack,” he said.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said Siyum fled with the bag and was chased down by witnesses, who then called police.

“The victim impact statement says she understandably has suffered adversely from the offending, she has experienced anxiety, stress and a loss of personal safety,” she said.

“He did some use some actual violence causing her injury, he targeted a vulnerable complainant from behind.”

The court heard Siyum was serving an 18 month probation order at the time of the offence and had served 126 days in prison.

Ms O’Rourke said two years of imprisonment suspended would be open to Siyum.

“He would be supervised for a further six months under his current probation order,” she said.

A defence barrister said Siyum was a refugee, who came to Australia in 2012.

“It’s not inevitable that he will be deported but as he came (to Australia) at a later age this makes him a better candidate,” he said.

“His time in a detention centre is relevant to this matter.”

Judge Chowdhury said Siyum is lucky to be in this country as millions of refugees are unable to be in such a position.

“It only takes a split second for someone to get into the car or for someone like you to grab her bag, maybe I’m paranoid but it’s from sitting here and hearing about these offences every day,” he said.

Judge Chowdhury declared Siyum’s 126 days in custody as time served under this sentence.

He was sentenced to 18 months probation.

Convictions were recorded.