Man who robbed two boys aged 11 and 12 at knifepoint jailed

The now 20-year-old said he was “disgusted” by his own offending after pleading guilty to three armed robberies of young boys.

The man approached the two boys armed with a knife and demanded their mobile phones.

A 19-year-old man who robbed two boys aged 11 and 12 at knifepoint at a Toowoomba skate park has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Dylan Wippel, now 20, had approached the two boys at the Wilsonton skate park on December 2 asking them for a cigarette.

When the boys told him they had no cigarettes, he pulled a knife out and threatened to stab them if they didn’t hand over their mobile phones and passwords, Toowoomba District Court heard.

Terrified, the two boys did as he said and Wippel then left.

The boys ran crying to the nearby Hungry Jacks and called police, prosecutor Jodie O’Leary told the court.

That incident had come four months after Wippel robbed a 17-year-old boy in a Toowoomba laneway on August 25.

The teenager had stopped in the laneway to have a cigarette on his way home from school when Wippel approached saying: “What have you got that I can have?”, Ms O’Leary said.

He then reached into the teenager’s backpack and took some tobacco and when the teen objected, Wippel had taken a fork from the backpack and threatened to stab the victim if he didn’t hand over his phone, she said.

Wippel left and a woman walking through the lane a short time later found the 17-year-old crying and called police.

Police viewing CCTV footage of the Wilsonton skate park incident were led to Wippel’s then home where a search on December 3 had found knives, a small amount of cannabis, two pipes for smoking it and two uncapped syringes.

Wippel had spent the ensuing 139 days in custody before pleading guilty to three counts of armed robbery and drug offences.

His barrister Frank Martin said his client was “disgusted” by his behaviour and had written a letter of apology to the boys and offered an apology to the 17-year-old.

His client had only limited criminal history and this had been his first time in prison which hadn’t been easy and he had “received two bashings” at the hands of prisoners, he said.

Wippel had committed these offences to get money for drugs, Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin asked that his client be released forthwith on parole but Judge Deborah Richards disagreed.

“I don’t think 139 days in custody is enough for this,” she said.

“I accept now that you’re sober you’re sorry for what you did,” Judge Richards told Wippel.

Declaring the 139 days as time served, Judge Richards sentenced Wippel to three years in jail but ordered he be released on parole as of August 3 after he has served eight months.