ARMED thieves who stole cigarettes and cash from a service station after threatening a staff member with a hammer will both serve long sentences behind bars.
New Zealand born Frederick Ronald Fenton, 28, was sentenced yesterday to four years, two months and two weeks with a non-parole period of two years and six months.
Mount Gambier man Brett Andrew Jusup, 26, received three years and 11 months with a non-parole period of two years and two months.
The events leading to the charges began at around 1.20am on November 8 when the pair entered a service station on Penola Road in Mount Gambier.
Fenton approached the counter and asked the console operator for cigarettes.
When the staff member turned around, Fenton opened the door to the side counter and “menaced” the victim with a hammer.
Fenton ordered the victim to open the cash register and the defendant stole around $365 from the till.
Jusup then assisted Fenton in the robbery by stealing cigarettes worth around $630.
During sentencing submissions, a victim impact statement was read to the court describing the effect the robbery has had on the service station attendant.
The attendant describes in the document how fearful his partner and he have become after the incident.
Police were quickly able to identify the two accused with the use of security camera footage and they were arrested in the days following the incident.
Both men have used cannabis in the past and went to buy the drug after the robbery.
Fenton had been abusing cannabis and methamphetamine for years and smoked ice on the night of the robbery.
Judge Sydney Tilmouth said it was not surprising Fenton was on drugs on the day of the incident in light of the brazen execution of the robbery.
“You submitted that you came up with the spur-of-the-moment idea to rob the service station in an attempt to obtain money for purchasing drugs,” Judge Tilmouth said.
“You admit the idea was yours and you prevailed upon Mr Jusup to accompany you.”
For that reason, Judge Tilmouth considered Fenton’s offending more serious, which led to the slightly longer sentence imposed.
The sentence of four years, two months and two weeks was backdated to commence on November 8 when Fenton was taken into custody.
Judge Tilmouth highlighted the fact Fenton is “almost certain” to be deported when his sentence comes to an end.
Jusup was sentenced on the basis that he did not instigate the robbery and was vulnerable to the pressure to participate.
His sentence was also backdated to commence on November 8.
Judge Tilmouth considered the offending far too serious to consider suspending the sentence or allowing it to be served on home detention
