Stockland Rockhampton teen robber’s convictions recorded for other crimes

The shocking acts carried out by a recidivist teen criminal in his final months as a child by law have been revealed in a Queensland court where a bleak picture was painted of his future.

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Shocking violent acts of a recidivist teenage criminal, committed in his final year as a child by law, have been revealed in court as a judge considered declaring him a serial repeat offender and recording convictions.

The boy was one of two juveniles in the District Court who had racked up a total 300 offences combined on their criminal records and were waiting to find out if their last sentences as children for armed robbery together at Stockland Rockhampton would follow them into adulthood.

The 17-year-olds, who will be referred to as Jack* and David*, both pleaded guilty to armed robbery in company in July and were sentenced this month.

Crown prosecutor Tessa Wormsley said the defendants, who had gone out with the intent to steal something, approached two boys they knew in the Stockland carpark about 7.20pm on November 1, 2023.

“The boys had expensive mountain bikes,” she said.

Ms Wormsley said the defendants grabbed the bikes and Jack reached into his shirt, pretending to be armed, and said “do you want to get shanked, c***?”

“The victims felt threatened and backed off,” she said.

Stockland Rockhampton Shopping Centre. Picture: Aden Stokes

But it was a more serious, dangerous attack on members of the public that led to David being declared a Serial Repeat Offender with convictions recorded by Rockhampton’s Judge Jeff Clarke.

David and another child opportunistically entered an unlocked portable office on a worksite at Norman Gardens late one evening in December 2023.

They found an iPad and vehicle keys and as they left, they were spotted by a worker who called out to them to stop.

There was a pursuit before the worker caught up with David and his co-offender responded by throwing a star picket at the man.

“Thankfully it missed,” Judge Clarke said.

The first worker let go and the boys ran off and a second worker called out for the iPad to be given back, got out of his car and the boys “puffed up” their bodies wanting to fight him.

David tried to punch the worker from behind, but the worker dodged it, and the co-offender threw a few punches.

Judge Clarke said the man grabbed the co-offender to stop the punching and told the boys he was “simply asking for the property to be returned”.

David threw a glass bottle with force at the man’s head, smashing it against his hard hat, causing him to let go of the co-accused and the boys ran away.

A tradesman had a glass bottle thrown at him during an attack by youths on a Rockhampton site.

The boys collected rocks and ran back to the men and threw rocks at them as one drove a truck to pick up the other.

“You and your accused then threw rocks at the moving vehicle, causing the driver’s side window and mirror to smash,” Judge Clarke said.

“Seeing all of that, the other victim came back, tackled your co-accused, put him in a hold.

“You picked up a large rock, and because he was fearful you were going to hit him with the rock, he released your co-defendant and the pair of you were able to flee.”

The iPad was recovered at the scene along with David’s mobile phone.

He was arrested the next day.

About six months later, as detention staff were trying to apprehend an aggressive detained youth, David ran towards him and forcefully kicked him to the head, making him unconscious.

David was moved to another area of the centre where he picked up a broken smoke detector and threw with at another centre worker, striking their hand.

Judge Clarke said this offending showed David had a clear disregard for public safety, was an escalation and a “gratuitous violence attack on a public officer without provocation or warning”.

‘Little remorse’: Teen’s shocking guns, cars, cash history

Crown prosecutor Tessa Wormsley said David was now 17 years and eight months old and this would be his 16th sentence.

His criminal history comprised of 228 offences spanning over 22 pages including three prior robberies or attempted robberies.

David was a lookout in the first robbery while three others in May 2019, armed with sticks and disguised by wearing jackets and hoodies, attempted to get money from a takeaway store.

“The store owner armed herself, grabbed one of the offenders around the shoulder and the group then attacked her, striking her to the head and back with the sticks and another female employee also got hit, causing bruises to her hand and arm,” Judge Clarke said.

In the second, he was present when a co-offender punched a 15-year-old boy and demanded money.

David was then part of a group of three who approached two boys with bikes.

He took one while a co-offender took the other and punched the bike owner several times.

Ms Wormsley said the balance of his history was made up of breaking into homes and businesses in groups, and stealing money, cars and other items.

“On one occasion, those items included guns,” she said.

Since being exposed to the court system at the age of 11 and in detention before turning 12, David had been sentenced to two conditional release orders, nine probation orders and two restorative justice orders.

Judge Clarke said David had been exposed to violence from a very young age and had to live with other relatives when his parents were in prison.

He said reports provided to the court stated David demonstrated victim-blaming attitudes, tried to justify his behaviour, showed limited remorse and believed he needed to use violence to go to the aide of co-offenders.

Judge Clarke said the reports also stated David had minimal supervision at home, “developed a habit of hanging around like-minded youth committing offences and using drugs”, along with inappropriate parental discipline and disengagement from education.

He said David told the report writer he felt a sense of belonging to the people who committed crimes.

“You were found to have poor frustration tolerance which impacts you being able to properly express and deal with any emotions in an appropriate way that doesn’t involve lashing out and causing harm to others,” Judge Clarke said.

He said David’s prospects of rehabilitation were poor.

Judge Clarke handed down a head sentence of 20 months’ detention to serve 50 per cent and convictions were recorded for all offences apart from the Stockland Rockhampton mountain bike armed robbery.

Jack was sentenced to an 18-month detention order, to serve 50 per cent.

Given Jack’s prospects of rehabilitation by joining the army, Judge Clarke ordered no convictions recorded for him.

*The Morning Bulletin has changed the names of the defendants as they cannot be identified by law because they are under the age of 18.

Originally published as Stockland Rockhampton teen robber’s convictions recorded for other crimes