Adam Davey: Low IQ lead man to be ‘egged on’ during armed robbery

A man with a low IQ who stabbed his victim in an armed robbery was “probably egged on”, a judge has said, sentencing him to six years behind bars.

A father who stabbed a man, causing him life threatening injuries, has been jailed.

Adam Davey, 26, was sentenced on Monday in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court on charges of causing serious injury recklessly, armed robbery and theft of a motor vehicle after he plead guilty last week.

In court he was described as a “follower not a leader” after it was revealed he hatched a plan to rob his victim with friends.

On May 28 last year, Peter Joyce and Peta Halvey were invited to meet Davey at an address in Newborough with a group of others.

When the pair arrived, Davey jumped out from the bushes and ran towards them, demanding they empty their pockets and threatening them with a large hunting knife.

Mr Joyce emptied his pockets while Ms Halvey ran away.

Trying to escape, he then pushed past Davey who stabbed him in the abdomen.

Mr Joyce stumbled towards the front door and heard Davey say “if anything comes of this you are dead”.

As Mr Joyce went to neighbours for help, Davey, Ms Halvey and others at the address got into Ms Halvey’s car and drove to his address.

Ms Halvey then said she “needed to go home” but Davey refused to let the group get out of the car.

Ms Halvey said they could have the vehicle if they let her return home but they would “need to return it”.

It was never returned.

Judge John Smallwood said he “found it hard” to see Ms Halvey as a victim after the court was told she had played a part in hatching the plan with Davey and another to rob Mr Joyce of cash and money.

No charges have been laid against Ms Halvey.

Judge Smallwood also said Davey was in “deep strife” when he considered Davey had been jailed “five or six times before for violence” at only 26 years old.

Davey’s defence, Neville Rudson, said he was “standing alone in the dark” when it came to punishment for this offence.

The court heard Davey’s mother believed her son was “not the brains of this operation”.

With an IQ of 72, which was revealed during sentencing, Judge Smallwood agreed with this sentiment.

“You were probably egged on by the others,” he said.

He received a maximum term of six years in prison but will be eligible for parole after just three.

He has already served 461 days in pre-sentence detention.