Reginald Edward Jackson Charles sentenced in Townsville District Court after robbery attempt at Upper Ross Hotel

A man fuelled by a carton of rum and cokes, threatened to stab a young bartender and demanded she hand over money from the Townsville pub’s till before he was taken down by cops.

Reginald Edward Jackson Charles sentenced in Townsville District Court after robbery attempt at Upper Ross Hotel. Picture: Evan Morgan

A young offender who demanded a woman hand over money from a till at a Townsville pub while he was armed with a knife was tasered and jailed.

Reginald Edward Jackson Charles appeared in Townsville District Court recently after a ‘bizarre’ and ‘opportunistic’ offence of armed robbery at the Upper Ross Hotel.

Crown prosecutor Tom Hancock said on May 21 last year just after 2am, a 22-year-old bartender started closing down the bar connected to the pokies room when she was approached by the 20-year-old offender in a staff only area.

“She said ‘You can’t be here you need to leave’, and (the man) made it clear he wasn’t going to go and demanded she give him money to the tills,” Mr Hancock explained.

The court was told the man said he was going to get angry and said “I’m going to f--king stab you” at the young woman, before poking her with a knife through his long-sleeved shirt.

“There was no discreet injury caused by the knife,” Mr Hancock clarified.

He said the man had made no effort to disguise his appearance, and the young woman turned on her radio in hopes another employee would hear the altercation to come help.

“A security guard came and asked him to move, when (Charles) became violent and threatened to stab (security) as well,” Mr Hancock said.

The court was told patrons from the pub intervened in an attempt to de-escalate the situation before police arrived and the man grew more agitated.

“Police asked him to get on the ground, he lied and said he wasn’t armed and lifted his shirt but when police threatened to taser him he pulled out the knife,” the crown said.

It was when the man drew his weapon that police tasered him to the ground and arrested him.

“It’s a fairly bizarre, opportunistic robbery but hopeless in nature and destined for failure,” Mr Hancock said.

Defence barrister Ross Malcomson said Charles who had spent 290 days in pre-sentence custody, had “not enjoyed” his time behind bars and didn’t want to return.

“He commenced abuse of alcohol after year eight and was involved in the wrong crowd,” Mr Malcomson said.

“He consumed a carton of rum and cokes and was heavily intoxicated his memory is patchy to say the least, he doesn’t even recall having possession of a knife.”

Judge Carl Heaton emphasised the man’s problem with alcohol and advised he addressed it to avoid further jail time, and noted there was no criminal history to be reported.

“You’re perhaps lucky the offending was limited to what it was,” he said.

Charles pleaded guilty to attempted robbery while armed using personal violence and obstructing police while armed.

He was sentenced to 18 months’ jail, with 290 days spent in pre-sentence custody being declared as time served and was given an immediate parole release date.

Originally published as Reginald Edward Jackson Charles sentenced in Townsville District Court after robbery attempt at Upper Ross Hotel