By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An Uber driver was threatened with a lethal injection from a syringe during an attempted armed robbery in Dandenong, the County Court of Victoria heard.
The passenger Lynette Atkinson demanded money as the driver conveyed her from Scott Street into Pickett Street about 6pm on 16 May 2018.
Pointing a syringe about 30 centimetres from the driver, Atkinson told him: “If you don’t give me money, this will kill you in one minute.”
Though he couldn’t see whether the syringe was filled, the driver feared for his life.
He parked at a well-lit shopping strip in Hemmings Street, pushed away Atkinson’s arm and ran away with the keys.
Atkinson rummaged through the car, stealing the driver’s phone and a multi-tool device.
She was arrested by police near the scene.
Atkinson, 23, pleaded guilty to the attempted armed robbery and theft.
She had gained insight but “limited” remorse for her crime, Judge Trevor Wraight noted during sentencing on 23 July.
Atkinson stated to her psychologist that the offence had been an “accident”, that it “wasn’t supposed to happen in the way it did”.
The long-term heroin addict had said she’d not been in desperate need for more drugs at the time, Judge Wraight said.
Her motivation to get in the car was unclear. Judge Wraight found that her “soft target” offence was a “spontaneous” decision made in the cabin.
Atkinson’s disadvantaged background, her drug addiction and dislocated, violent childhood were taken into account.
She had started on heroin at 14, and expressed the need to “get off the drugs” and associate with different people.
She was recently diagnosed with an opioid use disorder and a major depressive disorder.
Her risk of recidivism was assessed as moderate. Her rehabilitation was still given weight in sentencing.
“While you have a significant criminal history for someone of your young age, you’ve also had enormous hardship and difficulty through your young years,” Judge Wraight said.
Atkinson’s “confronting” appearance before her elders at Koori Court was noted.
She was jailed for nine months, with a two-year supervised community corrections order of up to 120 hours of unpaid work as well as drug and mental health treatment.
The jail term included 238 days in pre-sentence custody.
