Armed robbery bid: teen spared jail

Pera raised a shovel above the victim's head and threatened him to hand over cigarettes he did not have.

By Aneeka Simonis

A TEEN who stole a shovel and used it to threaten a disabled man to hand over cigarettes has been spared a jail sentence.
William Maurangi Pera, 19, was sentenced to a 15-month community corrections order over theft, criminal damage and attempted armed robbery charges heard at the County Court on 23 August.
The court heard Pera, then 18, approached the cognitively impaired 51-year-old victim standing at a bus stop in Pakenham about 7pm on Sunday 2 August last year, asking for a cigarette.
When the victim said he didn’t have any, Pera became aggressive.
The victim got very upset, re-explaining he did not have cigarettes, but Pera continued to abuse him.
The court heard that Pera said he would go and get a shovel and hit the victim’s head with it if he didn’t hand over cigarettes.
Pera then walked over to a nearby construction site, picked up a shovel and approached the victim, saying words to the effect, “I told you that I would get a f***ing shovel. Now give me a cigarette or I’ll take your f***ing head off.”
The victim repeatedly asked Pera to leave him alone, and eventually escaped to nearby protective service officers (PSOs) to report the incident.
Pera was arrested and taken into Pakenham police station where he made full admissions to the crime.
In sentencing, Judge Lawson acknowledged Pera co-operated with police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
He was sentenced to a 15-month community corrections order, and will be made to complete 75 hours of unpaid community work.