Failed robber jailed for “brazen” daylight crime at a Woree tavern

Armed with a hammer and a pink hoodie, an intoxicated armed robber’s failed attempt to steal a cash drawer from a Woree tavern, has earned him a jail term.

Armed with a hammer and a pink hoodie, an intoxicated armed robber’s failed attempt to steal a cash drawer from a Woree tavern, has earned him a jail term.

A pulled-up pink hoodie failed to hide the identity of a failed pub armed robber whose daylight crime was thwarted by a security guard and captured on CCTV before the man was recognised and arrested the next day.

Wallie Mooka, 23, pleaded guilty in Cairns District Court to attempted armed robbery in company at a Woree tavern on the afternoon of October 9.

The court was told Mooka had a claw hammer when trying to rob the tavern and he was charged with obstructing and assaulting police when he was later arrested in Earlville.

He was sentenced by Judge Gregory Lynham to four years imprisonment with eligibility for parole on March 1, 2026, after he had served one third of the sentence.

Judge Lynham noted Mooka had robbed a minimart when he was 18 years old, also while armed in company and trying to conceal his identity, and had been sentenced to three years jail on that occasion.

Crown prosecutor Naomi Nelson described the Woree robbery as “brazen”, saying two men went to the tavern in the afternoon with their hoodies pulled up and attempted to steal a cash drawer from the bar.

Dressed in a pink and a grey hoodie, pulled up to obscure their faces, Mooka and an associate tried unsuccessfully to rob a Woree Tavern in October 2024.

She said a security guard tackled one of the men, who has not been identified nor charged, and Mooka stepped in with a hammer to help his fellow robber.

The men ultimately abandoned the robbery and fled after a manager also arrived at the bar from a back room.

“Aggravating features are the brazen nature of the attempt – it was committed at a time when there were other patrons in the tavern – and they covered their faces and armed themselves with hammers,” Ms Nelson said.

She said police officers recognised Mooka while patrolling in Earlville the next day.

He ran away and “took a swing” at an officer, the court was told.

Mooka was said to have a traumatic upbringing and was intoxicated at the time, something his barrister John Seccull described as “context” and not an excuse.

Judge Lynham recorded convictions against Mooka.

Originally published as Failed robber jailed for “brazen” daylight crime at a Woree tavern