Adam Davies, 22 March 2016
TWO men who held up a service station armed with machetes will spend the next six months behind bars.
Kristan David Beale, 21, and Colin Whitton, 21, pleaded guilty on Monday in Ipswich District Court the armed robbery on August 8, 2015 of the 7 Eleven at Dinmore.
Crown prosecutor Peter O’Connor told the court the two men entered the service station about 1.15am brandishing machetes and demanded money from the operator.
He said the robbery lasted for about two minutes and the men fled with $477.45 cash from the till.
Mr O’Connor said police dogs tracked the two men and located them about 1km away near a railway embankment.
He said both men were so intoxicated they did participate in a police interview.
Beale’s defence barrister Scott Neaves said his client was extremely remorseful for his actions and does not have a clear recollection of the events of the evening.
Whitton’s defence lawyer Matthew Fairclough said his client had great prospects for rehabilitation moving forward and had full-time employment.
He said his alcohol missue came about after a relationship breakdown and he also has no recollection of committing the offence.
Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren sentenced both men to three years behind bars but ordered they be released on parole on September 2, 2016 after serving six months.
Extracted in full from the Queensland Times.
