Geraldton teenager placed on eight-month intensive supervision order for role in Wonthella IGA break-in

A Geraldton teenager has been sentenced to an eight-month intensive supervision order over his involvement in a Wonthella Supa IGA break in and robbery in April. The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, appeared in Geraldton Children’s Court on Tuesday on charges he previously pleaded guilty to, including damage property by graffiti, two counts of aggravated burglary and commit, aggravated armed robbery and stealing. Police allege at 4.45am on Wednesday April 27, the two co-accused climbed onto the roof of the Fifth Street shopping complex, kicked out the ceiling and gained entry by dropping inside, the youth then entered through the front door, stealing cigarettes to the value of $39.40 and cash. When a worker went to investigate, the youth threatened to bash the worker stating, “I’ll hit you, you want me to hurt you cause I will”, before picking up a can of WD-40, and saying “do you want me to spray you in the eyes with this?” In a separate incident in June, the youth attempted to jimmy open a glass sliding door at Midwest Fire & Safety Supplies on Chapman Road around 10:40pm, the co-accused then threw a brick at the glass, smashing the door and gaining entry. Once inside they stole two money boxes to the value of $1000 and 20 sets of vehicle keys totalling $1500. On June 24, police attended the home address of the suspect, where he was arrested, and bail refused. Prosecutor Sen. Const. Beau Jones said the offending was extremely serious, taking into account the stolen property and the threat made to the worker. Xavier Sellathambu, the lawyer who represented the boy, agreed with the seriousness of the offending and that it was worthy of an immediate term of detention. However, he outlined some mitigating factors, including the boy’s limited record, that he was mixing with other peers at the time who had a bad influence on him, and his childhood was impacted by frequently moving around the Pilbara, Kimberley, Mid West and Gascoyne regions. He argued that placing his client on an intensive supervision order would hopefully give him the ability to stay away from crime, develop those skills and stop him from reoffending. Magistrate Angus Hockton agreed, sentencing the teenager to an eight-month ISO, taking into account time spent in custody. He said while the youth played a lesser role, it was still a significant one in what was a very serious offence. The magistrate highlighted how the same charges would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison as an adult, warning the boy to comply with the ISO.