Teen who carjacked cabbie believed cops wanted to kill him

A teenager in the grip of psychosis who carjacked a terrified cab driver at knifepoint believed the government and police were conspiring to murder him, a court has heard.

Hobart taxi driver Syed Rizvi was carjacked at knifepoint by Bailey Dennis Roberts on New Year’s Day 2020. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

A DELUSIONAL teen who carjacked a cabbie at knifepoint before unleashing a terrifying New Year’s Day road rampage claims he was in the grip of a drug-induced psychosis at the time.

Bailey Dennis Roberts, 19, said he believed his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet – which was mandated over unrelated offending – was part of a government conspiracy to kill him and that police were in on the sinister plot.

In the afternoon of January 1 this year, Roberts held up terrified taxi driver Syed Rizvi at Clarendon Vale, with the teen later claiming he initially had just been bored and wanted to get something to snack on at Mood Food.

But, as the Supreme Court in Hobart heard on Tuesday, Roberts produced a knife at Rokeby, saying: “I need your car, just get out of the car … and leave your phone and wallet.”

Mr Rizvi stopped the car and ran to the side of the road, while Roberts slid across the centre console and drove away.

For about 33 minutes, the meth-affected teen drove dangerously at speeds up to 150km/h, swerved to avoid collisions, weaved through traffic and ran red lights with police in pursuit with their lights and sirens blaring.

A 10-year-old girl riding her bicycle was lucky to avoid injury when Roberts sped through a red light without slowing down.

When he crashed the cab at Mornington, Roberts threw away his knife, lay on the ground, and said: “Someone’s out to kill me, youse (sic) are out to kill me, someone set me up.”

He was arrested and taken to hospital, and has been in custody since.

On January 2, Roberts – who claims he has had to care for himself since age 11 – told police he committed the rampage because he wanted to go to prison where he’d have stable accommodation.

On Tuesday, the learner driver pleaded guilty to carjacking, dangerous driving, evading police in aggravated circumstances and unlicensed driving.

Defence lawyer Brittany Clark said Roberts’ drug use had caused a drug-induced psychosis, which had led to the offending and that “in this instance reduces culpability”.

“The police were part of the psychosis that he was experiencing. He concluded they were part of the government conspiracy to kill him,” she said.

The crashed taxi near the Mornington roundabout. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Ms Clark said Roberts had been locked down in custody – six days out of seven – and that he had been unable to access drug or alcohol rehabilitation behind bars.

But Justice Michael Brett said although he accepted Roberts was in a psychosis at the time, it could not be a mitigating factor as it was induced by illicit drug use.

“He’s likely to receive a significant term of imprisonment,” he said.

Roberts will be sentenced on July 3.