This is what a man allegedly said to a 69-year-old shop attendant when he and his partner tried to rob a store while armed with a knife.
Bradley Collins, 25, and Harmony Kaye Scanlan, 23, both of Mooroopna, successfully applied for bail in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.
They are both charged with attempted armed robbery, using false number plates and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Shepparton Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Mick Guppy said Mr Collins and Ms Scanlan tried to rob MacIsaac Road Giftshop at about 3.45pm on Wednesday, October 15.
Mr Collins allegedly used a large knife to demand cash from the shop assistant, and Ms Scanlan allegedly drove a car with false number plates to and from the shop, the court heard.
Three videos of CCTV footage from the store were played to the court.
One showed Ms Scanlan enter the store and talk to the shop attendant.
Another saw a masked man, alleged to be Mr Collins, put a brick in the doorway, then pull the knife out of his pants and place it on the counter.
After the man allegedly demanded cash from her, the shop attendant repeatedly screamed for help, and the masked man left the store.
The victim was “petrified” at the thought of the pair getting bail, and was fearful to return to work, Det Sen Constable Guppy said.
He said Mr Collins and Ms Scanlan were in a relationship, and police found two daggers at their Mooroopna home.
The court heard they both had no priors, which Det Sen Constable Guppy said was “unusual” for people charged with armed robbery, and it was their first time in custody.
Ms Scanlan’s defence solicitor Bree Zito said the three nights her client spent in police custody had been a “harrowing experience”.
She said Ms Scanlan had multiple mental health issues including autism, severe anxiety, borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after an incident in 2023.
Mr Collins’ defence solicitor Anthony Coote said an element of financial stress led to his client’s “moment of madness”.
He said Mr Collins had worked as a fabricator for the last three years, and had won an apprentice of the year award.
Mr Coote said his client’s offending wasn’t the “usual kind of armed robbery”, with what he said to the shop assistant being “almost apologetic”.
He also told the court Mr Collins had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Magistrate David Faram said Mr Collins and Ms Scanlan’s time in custody would’ve been a “very sobering experience”.
“It’s difficult to imagine how you’ve found yourselves in this situation,” he said.
“It seemed you were living ... normal, sensible, rewarding lives.
“Something’s clearly going on.”
Mr Faram said the prosecution had a strong case and there was an “obvious distress” in the victim's voice.
In granting them bail, he said he didn’t expect the couple to commit any other offences.
One of their bail conditions includes they don't go within 200m of MacIsaac Road Giftshop.
Mr Collins and Ms Scanlan will both next face court for committal mentions in November and January, respectively.
18°C