Teej Lloyd Williams sentenced for armed robbery in Rockhampton court

A Queensland man found nude in public had managed to hold up a McDonald’s, service station and terrorise a taxi driver with a knife all in the same day. Now, he’s been sentenced for his crimes.

Teej Williams.

A court has heard how police found a man naked with a towel in the moments after a “spree” of violent and threatening offending, including the robbery of a McDonald’s employee.

Teej Lloyd Williams, 30, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court to armed robbery, armed robbery with actual violence, attempted robbery and seriously assaulting a police officer.

About 5.40am on June 15 last year Williams went to McDonald’s at Gracemere holding a screwdriver with his face covered.

Williams demanded till money from the Barista who was working at the time and told Williams he would have to get his manager.

As the barista walked towards the manager’s office, Williams continued to point the screwdriver at him while demanding money.

The court heard Williams went to McDonald’s Gracemere where he threatened a barista with a screwdriver and demanded money. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Matray

He was eventually given $130 from the cash register before driving away.

About 1.20pm that same day he came across a taxi driver and asked them to pick up his brother from the walking path at the local zoo.

The driver agreed but said she had another job to do first.

When the driver returned later Williams, who was wearing a surgical mask to conceal his face, went up to the driver and asked to use her taxi.

When she refused, he continued to plead with her and said he would give it back in half an hour.

But the driver continued to refuse, and Williams pulled out a large carving knife, went over to the window before putting the knife back in his clothes and walked away.

Williams got back in his car and drove off with the taxi driver following.

He then went to a service station on Lower Dawson Rd where he went inside, still with his face covered, brandishing the knife and demanding money.

The store attendant pressed an alarm button under the counter and opened the till getting out some of the money, before Williams slammed the knife on the counter.

Williams continued yelling “hurry up” at the attendant and threatened to jump the counter, before he was given up to $300 in cash and ran off.

A plain clothed police officer had just arrived on scene as Williams exited the building and shouted “armed police, drop the knife” multiple times, before Williams got in his car and shut the door.

As the officer approached Williams told him to “back off or I’ll stab you” and drove away.

Williams was later found naked with a towel covering himself in a fenced off paddock.

Crown prosecutor Ryan Minuti told the court Williams had been remanded in custody ever since that day and, at the time, was not in a “normal state of mind”.

Mr Minuti submitted an appropriate range of offending was between four and five years' imprisonment.

Teej Williams.

Williams’ barrister Jordan Ahlstrand told the court his client’s offending had only spanned across the one day and wasn’t aggravated by him being in the company of someone else.

Mr Ahlstrand said Williams had suffered a number of mental health issues, including bipolar, and had been engaging with mental health services.

He said his client began drinking at the age of 15 and described himself as an alcoholic at the age of 19, where he was also smoking up to half an ounce of marijuana a day.

Mr Ahlstrand said Williams was close to his older sister, who had offered him accommodation when he is released from jail.

Judge Michael Byrne took into account Williams’ plea of guilty and that it came at an early opportunity.

He said Williams’ behaviour with the screwdriver and the knife was “intimidating” to those he threatened.

“Your offending is serious, it’s all on the one day and I think it’s correctly described by the prosecutor as a spree of offending that was fuelled by your mental health not being under control,” he said.

“Armed robberies are very serious, people go to work not wanting and certainly not expecting they’re going to have screwdrivers or knives waved in their face.”

Williams was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment and will be eligible for parole on June 14.

313 days of presentence custody was declared as time already served.

Originally published as Teej Lloyd Williams sentenced for armed robbery in Rockhampton court