Jeffrey Alexander Richard Clevens pleads guilty to armed robbery

A meth-addicted young man has faced court over two armed robberies in which he threatened staff with an array of weapons including a machete, tree branch, and metal bar.

A meth-addicted young man has faced court after terrorising the staff of two businesses while armed with an array of weapons including a machete and a tree branch. Generic. Picture: iStock

A meth-addicted young man has faced court after terrorising the staff of two businesses while armed with an array of weapons including a machete and a tree branch.

Jeffrey Alexander Richard Clevens was charged with two counts of armed robbery over the hold-ups which happened about one month apart in early 2024, published court documents say.

In the first, on the night of February 12, Clevens approached a 38-year-old staff member at a hotel bottle shop while the man was stocking the fridge.

Clevens, armed with a machete and with a hoodie pulled over his face, pointed the weapon at the man and demanded money from the cash register, saying he would cut him if he did not hurry, the court heard.

The 23-year-old stole the $100, $50, and $20 notes from the register before fleeing the shop.

Deadly encephalitis virus found in North Burnett mosquitoes

‘Quite stupid’: How a leg tattoo led to car wash thief’s downfall

A meth-addicted young man has faced court after terrorising the staff of two businesses while armed with an array of weapons including a machete and a tree branch. Generic. Picture: iStock

Then, about 5am on March 13, Clevens approached two workers of Murgon’s Country Fried Chicken, this time armed with a tree branch and a white towel covering his face.

He then threatened the pair, a 41-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man, demanding the keys to a nearby car.

The court heard the woman started having a panic attack at which point Clevens dropped the branch and picked up a one-and-a-half-metre long metal bar, approached the man and took his keys out of the door.

Judge Jennifer Rosengren said in her sentencing remarks the woman fled down the road “so worried and scared that she hid her bag containing her keys in the bush”, finally flagging down a passing car for help.

Police caught up with Clevens later in the day, when he tried to flee – this time armed with a hammer.

Judge Rosengren said Clevens had a “concerning” criminal history which included burglary-type offences, violence, and drug-related offences.

Jeffrey Alexander Richard Clevens was charged with two counts of armed robbery over the hold-ups which happened about one month apart in early 2024, published court documents say. One of the stores was the Murgon Country Fried Chicken. Picture: Facebook

He had previously been jailed three times, and had been on parole only two months when he robbed the stores.

The court heard Clevens had started sniffing paint and using meth while he was a teenager, and continued to struggle with using the drug.

He was a “talented” bull rider who aspired to working in construction, and the father of a young girl, the court heard.

Jude Rosengren warned the 23-year-old he was setting his daughter up for failure as she “does not have an ounce of choice in what you do, but she is left to pick up the pieces”.

“If you cannot at some stage stand up and be a role model to her, and show her the right ways, one might expect that she might end up doing the sorts of things that you are doing,” Judge Rosengren said.

She jailed Clevens for five years, and made him eligible for parole from November 12, 2025.

Originally published as Jeffrey Alexander Richard Clevens pleads guilty to armed robbery