Brayden Jacob Tremblay sentenced for ram raid at NightOwl Varsity Lakes

A man smashed through the front doors of a Gold Coast convenience store in a stolen BMW and then threatened to kill the store manager inside as she screamed for help. SEE THE VIDEO

A man remains behind bars after threatening to kill the manager of a Gold Coast convenience store as she screamed for help during a terrifying ram raid.

Brayden Jacob Tremblay smashed a stolen BMW through the front door of the NightOwl at Varsity Lakes at about 4.45am on April 4, 2022.

CCTV footage shows the luxury vehicle – which was stolen from a Brisbane home the same night – only narrowly missed the store manager inside and showered her with debris.

The store manager was only a few feet away when the stolen BMW smashed through the front doors. Picture: QPS

Southport District Court was told Tremblay’s face was covered with a T-shirt as he entered the store and jumped the counter, demanding cigarettes.

Prosecutor Amelia Baker-Smith said Tremblay shouted, “I will kill you,” as the terrified manager screamed for help.

Tremblay stole cigarettes before fleeing in the same vehicle.

Ms Baker-Smith said the 20-year-old and an unknown accomplice had used the same stolen BMW in an nearly identical ram raid at Ashgrove only hours earlier, that time making off with about $6900 worth of stolen cigarettes and causing about $5000 in damage.

The court was told police found social media posts showing Tremblay with the stolen car and messages on his phone boasting about the thefts.

Brayden Jacob Tremblay has been sentenced for ram raiding a Gold Coast convenience store in a stolen car. Picture: QPS

It was heard Tremblay was on bail after the ram raids when he stole an Uber driver’s car at knifepoint and tried to steal another a day later.

He had spent 367 days in custody by the time of his sentencing.

Defence barrister Nick McGhee said the ram raids were fuelled by his client’s drug use and desperation for money after being homeless for lengthy periods.

Mr McGhee said Tremblay suffered a “traumatic and prejudicial” upbringing that impacted his mental health, and that his sentence should offer support in his rehabilitation.

Tremblay was sentenced to jail with both parole release and a longer suspended sentence by Judge Rowan Jackson, who said the offending was “terribly serious” and that he would require extensive supervision to turn his life around.

“It’s important you develop some insight into how the victims of these offences might feel,” Judge Jackson said.

“I hope that your remorse is in relation to the behaviour you’ve engaged in and not just the consequences.”

Tremblay pleaded guilty to several offences including robbery, wilful damage, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

His parole release date was set at July 18, 2024.