One-legged bandit Jack Quinlivan jailed for $20k armed robbery at Eastland jeweller
An amputee bandit has knocked over an Eastland jeweller during a brazen daylight robbery before fleeing — on crutches — with jewels worth $20,000 after threatening to shoot staff.
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A one-legged bandit armed with a hammer and crutches robbed jewels worth $20,000 from an Eastland jeweller after threatening to shoot staff, a court has heard.
Jack Quinlivan, 28, was sentenced in the County Court this month to a minimum 25 months jail after pleading guilty to armed robbery.
Quinlivan targeted Holdsworth Bros. Jewellers after taking a taxi to Eastland shopping centre on May 13 last year.
Quinlivan, a lower-leg amputee, convinced a shop assistant into pulling expensive emerald and diamond rings out of the display cabinet.
He swiped the rings off the counter when the assistant served another customer.
Quinlivan then shouted at staff to “take out all their expensive items” because he was there to “rob them”.
Quinlivan, armed with a hammer, told frightened staff “not to do anything silly”.
He also told a shop assistant he was armed with a “revolver” and he would shoot her.
Staff bolted to the exit and pulled the shutter down to lock Quinlivan in the store but he used his crutches to prise the security door open.
The bandit then threatened to shoot a cleaner who prevented his escape.
Quinlivan fled to a waiting taxi with four rings valued at $19,240.
Two rings were recovered at separate Cash Converters stores and Quinlivan, on bail for an aggravated burglary, was arrested two days later.
The court heard Quinlivan’s criminal history was littered with aggravated burglary offences.
He was also charged for subsequent offending committed the evening of the Eastland heist.
Quinlivan said he had “no recollection” of the armed robbery but gave “very specific details” of being on a drug cocktail of heroin, meth, Xanax, cannabis and Endone at the time.
Judge Frances Hogan said Quinlivan’s armed robbery was “unsophisticated” but there was “some premeditation”.
“You called a taxi and directed the driver to take you to the Eastland Shopping Centre and went forthwith to the jewellery shop, while armed with a hammer,” Judge Hogan said.
“At the jewellery shop, there is no suggestion that you were other than lucid in describing the types of rings in which you were interested and negotiating a price for one …
“You navigated your way back to the waiting taxi promptly and without any apparent confusion.
“The matters to which I have just referred show a degree of consequential thinking which, in my view, is not consistent with a person substantially affected by the cocktail of drugs.”
Judge Hogan also said Quinlivan “terrorised” his “scared” victims.
“Although you did not have a gun, your victims were not to know this,” she said.
“(A victim) stated that you were really agitated as you were striking the shutter with one of your crutches trying to force it open and, when you threatened to use your revolver and you reached into your pants, he assessed the danger as too much and let you go.”
Quinlivan – who spent 369 days in custody – was jailed for a maximum four years and one month.
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