Teenage grog thief jailed for nine months for robbing outback roadhouse
A teenager who drunkenly terrorised an outback roadhouse during an armed robbery for grog will spend at least nine months behind bars.
Northern Territory
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A TEENAGER who drunkenly terrorised an outback roadhouse during an armed robbery for grog will spend at least nine months behind bars after pleading guilty in the Supreme Court.
The court heard Keanu Ryder, 19, and his friend threatened three workers at the Wycliffe Well roadhouse in August last year which is located 380 kilometres north of Alice Springs.
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At around 8:30pm on the night of the offending, Ryder and his friend arrived drunk at the roadhouse where they were well known customers.
Ryder’s friend grabbed one of the store workers in a bear hug and pushed him onto a $2000 pie warmer which smashed on the floor.
The co-offender allegedly bit the store worker twice on the shoulder and told Ryder to “make it fast”.
Ryder brandished a cross brace from the roadhouse and threatened another employee to hand over alcohol.
As the employee ran away to the back of the store, Ryder chased him while holding the cross brace before smashing a glass fridge door.
Another employee asked Ryder how much alcohol he wanted to which he replied “all of it” as he referred to eight six-packs of beer.
The employee bargained with Ryder and eventually handed over two six-packs.
A bystander walked into the store and took the cross brace off Ryder before the police were called.
Police found Ryder in a car that had run out of petrol and was parked on the side of the road and arrested him before he was granted bail.
The court heard Ryder spent time in rehabilitation at the Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group and was arrested after he failed to turn up to a court hearing.
Justice Judith Kelly sentenced Ryder to three years in jail, suspended after nine months, under conditions including not drinking alcohol.
Justice Kelly said armed robbery offences were “far too common” in the NT but said this incident would have been particularly frightening for the isolated workers.
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“These people are providing an essential service, working at night and they are vulnerable,” she said.
“The court has to give what protection it can to people who are working alone and at night.”
Originally published as Teenage grog thief jailed for nine months for robbing outback roadhouse