by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man who held up two boys with a box-cutter and robbed them of $50 near Fountain Gate shopping centre has been sentenced.
Travis Kane, 20, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to the armed robbery of the boys aged 13 and 15 on Victor Crescent on 6 July.
The boys had been out with mates at a 10-pin bowling centre when Kane held them up.
Gripping the knife by his waist, Kane grabbed one victim by the shoulder and demanded cash.
While pointing the blade at the second boy, he demanded the same.
Kane headed to a bottle shop and used cash to buy cigarettes and a lighter – showing his photo ID.
The boys, who reported the robbery to police, stated they felt frightened that Kane would use the box-cutter.
They gave descriptions of his clothing and his distinctive facial tattoo.
Three days later, he was arrested at Dandenong railway station.
At a police interview, he denied involvement.
In sentencing on 24 April, Judge Trevor Wraight said Kane committed a “opportunistic” and “lower-level” street robbery.
“While this was a spontaneous act by you, you saw an opportunity and took steps to achieve your goal.”
Kane was “still a very young man” but with a “very troubling criminal history”.
At the time, Kane had been released from custody less than a month earlier for carjacking, burglary and other dishonesty offences.
He was under the influence of drugs at the time, Judge Wraight noted.
Kane was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder with anti-social features as part of a “complex” psychiatric history.
It stemmed from a traumatic childhood which reportedly included severe physical assaults.
A psychologist opined Kane was a high risk of reoffending due to his drug use, lack of housing, financial problems, anti-social peers and mental health issues.
The judge noted Kane gained NDIS funding for a support worker, occupational therapist and psychologist.
“However it’s up to you to avail yourself of these supports to turn your life around.
“Your prospects of rehabilitation at this stage are unable to be assessed positively.”
Kane was jailed for 12 months, followed by a two-year community corrections order.
The “therapeutic” CCO includes drug and mental health treatment as well as judicial monitoring.
The jail term includes 289 days in pre-sentence detention.
