AN Eaglehawk man who brandished a syringe during an attempted daylight armed robbery of Foodies convenience store on McCrae Street has been jailed for six months.
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Jason Douglas Steele, 34, pleaded guilty in the Bendigo County Court to theft, handling stolen goods and attempted armed robbery.
The court heard Steele had his face covered and was holding a syringe as he approached the counter of Foodies, attached to the Metro petrol station, at 10.50am on November 19 last year.
Steele demanded that the attendant open the till, but the attendant said it could not be opened.
Steele left the premises, but returned five minutes later with his face uncovered and with no weapon.
He bought a can of drink and, when the till opened, reached over the counter and grabbed $310 cash from the till before running out of the store.
Steele was followed by several men before police arrived in the area and arrested him. His bag was found nearby, containing an uncovered syringe and a wallet which had earlier been stolen from a parked car.
Steele denied the attempted armed robbery to police, and was released on bail. He failed to comply with bail conditions and failed to appear in court, and he was re-arrested on March 23.
The court was told Steele “rapidly descended into heavy heroin use” last year after the sudden death of his partner.
The attempted armed robbery was an attempt to “gain some quick cash”, the court heard.
While in custody, Steele has stopped using heroin and has been working.
Judge Susan Cohen said while the offending was at the lower end of the scale, it was still a “frightening” situation for the attendant and witnesses.
“The community is tired of these types of menacing events and the risk they place on a number of people involved,” she said.
“The workers in stores such as this are doing no more than trying to work to earn a living.”
Judge Cohen said she was confident Steele would address his drug use once he was released from custody.
He was jailed for six months, to be followed by a 12-month community corrections order. He has served 154 days in custody.