SCHOOLYARD bullying drove a Cairns teenager to hold up two service stations at knife-point so police would lock him up, a court has heard.
The bullying, coupled with family problems, drove the 16-year-old to breaking point.
On August 12 last year, wearing a balaclava and armed with a 20cm knife, he robbed the Mobil Service Station on Sheridan St of $400. Six days later, he held up the BP petrol station at Woree, fleeing empty-handed.
The Year 12 student, who can not be named under Queensland law, yesterday pleaded guilty in Queensland Children’s Court in Cairns to armed robbery and attempted armed robbery.
He received four months in juvenile detention but the sentence was suspended.
Prosecutor Brendan Manttan said the boy told police he wanted to be caught because it was better to end up in juvenile detention before the bullying drove him to kill someone.
He did not surrender to police because he wanted them to "catch him" and agreed it was "like a game".
The boy’s father made an emotional appeal to Judge Sarah Bradley not to jeopardise his son’s future.
He also accepted personal responsibility for his son’s downward spiral.
"I guess it is partly my fault for not showing him alternatives (to cope)," he said.
"I regret that we are here … I wonder where did I go wrong."
The juvenile offender, who is now aged 17, told the court, "I didn’t think about the consequences of who I would be
affecting."
Defence solicitor Lyndon Brandt suggested the teen bullies were jealous of the boy’s sporting abilities.
Mr Brandt said the offence demonstrated "immaturity and irrationality".
"It was almost begging to be caught and was attention-seeking really," Mr Brandt said.
The court heard the boy had apologised to his victims at a juvenile justice conference and was remorseful.
Judge Bradley described the offending as "calculated" and said the employees at the petrol stations would have been terrified.
"You obtained the disguise and you obtained the knife and clearly there was quite a degree of planning involved," she told the boy.
She accepted the bullying was a factor.
"You were acting out of frustration and anger and very unfortunately, took your frustration and anger out on innocent people in the community," she said.
