An ice-fuelled criminal faces court over terrifying rampage in Melbourne
AN ICE-fuelled carjacker threatened to kill a woman and her two children during a terrifying rampage in Melbourne.
AN ICE-fuelled carjacker threatened to kill a woman and her two children during a terrifying rampage in Melbourne.
Robbie Francis had been out of jail just three weeks when he tried to steal the woman’s Honda while her children, aged eight and 11, were inside on February 14.
“I’ve got a gun, I’ll shoot you. I’ll shoot the kids. Get out of the car,” he yelled at them, the County Court was told on Monday.
The frightened trio fled the car as the agitated Francis, who has since pleaded guilty to 17 charges in total, threatened them.
Minutes earlier, the 39-year-old had tried unsuccessfully to push a driver from his car in the CBD, then carjacked a Toyota Echo.
During the 30-minute crime spree, Francis sped erratically through a red traffic light, veered on the wrong side of the road, sideswiped vehicles including a taxi and narrowly missed a pedestrian by three metres, the court heard.
At one stage he was recorded speeding at 100km/h in a 40km/h zone by police, who followed him in an unmarked car.
He also tried unsuccessfully to steal a BMW after sideswiping it, telling the female driver: “I’ll kill you, now give me your keys”.
Witnesses reported Francis was waving his arms around and appeared “out of it”.
“He looked like he was on drugs,” one said.
After his arrest, Francis was found to have ice in his system.
One victim reported suffering anxiety, flashbacks and a fear of driving alone, according to her statement read in court.
The court was told two days before the rampage, Francis had taken ice and was “tripping out” and afraid he was being followed.
Defence barrister Rohan Lawrence said his client was ashamed of the offending, which he described as brief, spontaneous and irrational.
He suggested Francis, a long-time heroin addict, had a bad reaction to ice and may have been experiencing a drug-induced psychosis.
Francis, of Melbourne, pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving, robbery and making threats to kill among a series of charges.
He will be sentenced at a later date.