Jordan Jacob Gorry sentenced in Toowoomba District Court for attempted armed robbery

A teenager threatened to stab an employee at Silly Solly’s Toowoomba after she tried to stop him from leaving with a trolley full of items, a court has been told.

An employee of a store who had a knife pulled on her after she tried to stop a man taking off with a trolley full of goods was so traumatised by the attempted armed robbery she left her job.

About 9.25am on October 24, 2021, Jordan Jacob Gorry entered Silly Solly’s on Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, and over the next 2.5 hours proceeded to fill a trolley with a number of items, the court was told.

Staff became suspicious of Gorry as he wandered through the store, prosecutor Peter Blake-Segovia said.

As the 18-year-old attempted to leave the store without paying for the items, an employee grabbed the trolley to prevent him from leaving.

“(Gorry) produced a knife and pointed it at her face and said ‘let go of my f---ing trolley b---- or I’ll stab you’,” Mr Blake-Segovia said.

The court was told Gorry then told the employee to “f--- off” before he left the store.

Police tracked down and arrested Gorry the following day, but he denied the incident had taken place, claiming he had never been in the store and that he didn’t carry a weapon.

The court was told Gorry had served 142 days in pre-sentence custody, and in Toowoomba District Court on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery.

In a victim-impact statement tendered to the court, the employee involved said the incident had a long-term impact on her, and that she had quit her job as a result of the attempted armed robbery.

Gorry’s barrister Scott Lynch told the court his client was under the influence of methylamphetamine at the time of the incident, and that he was “genuine in wanting to change his life”.

“He is really sorry this happened,” Mr Lynch said.

Judge Paul Smith handed Gorry a two year probation order, with no conviction recorded. He was also ordered to pay $500 compensation.