Shepparton crime: Ricky Atkinson jailed for Mooroopna carjacking
A Shepparton father who held a knife to a school cleaner’s throat because his mate didn’t want to walk has been sentenced in court.
Goulburn Valley
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A Shepparton father will spend up to four years behind bars after holding a knife to a man’s throat during a terrifying carjacking.
Ricky Jai Atkinson, 28, was sentenced to a minimum of three years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated carjacking with an offensive weapon and driving in a dangerous manner with police in pursuit in the Melbourne County Court.
Prosecutors told the court Atkinson held a knife to the throat of a school cleaner when he stole his car on April 27 this year.
Atkinson and his alleged co-offender approached the man and his wife while they were leaving Mooroopna Primary School about 8.15pm.
He was with a group of friends, one of whom said they didn’t want to walk.
The court heard Atkinson then approached the victim’s vehicle, held the knife to the man’s throat and told him to “get out you bloody b*****d”.
He grabbed the keys out of the ignition before hitting him over the head twice.
The victims ran across the road and knocked on doors searching for help before they were located by police in a distressed manner.
Atkinson was seen driving the vehicle in Mooroopna about an hour after the carjacking before police started a pursuit reaching speeds of up to 150km/h.
The vehicle was found abandoned in Davis Ct, Shepparton with Atkinson and one of his co-offenders arrested at a nearby property.
In his police interview, Atkinson said the group had been forced to walk from another location when one of them said he didn’t want to.
Atkinson said he suggested calling a taxi and “doing a runner”.
Previously Atkinson’s defence lawyer said he took up the offending with “considerable enthusiasm”.
“The spark of the offending was not initially Mr Atkinson’s,” he said.
Atkinson was also barred from getting a driver’s licence for a further 12 months.
He also already served 162 in prison which was recognised as pre-sentence detention.
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