KRINGLE J L

STATE OF TASMANIA v JAROD LEE KRINGLE                     11 FEBRUARY 2021

COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE                                                     ESTCOURT J

 The defendant has been found guilty by a jury of the crime of armed robbery.  On about 27 July 2018, armed with a sawn-off rifle, the defendant robbed the Claremont Hotel bottle shop of cash to the sum of about $2,400.  He has relevant prior convictions for minor stealing offences only. One could not say that he has a poor history for offences of dishonesty.

I have seen a victim impact statement from Ms Smith, who was the bottle shop attendant who was most directly involved with the defendant in the robbery. As a result of the offending, she suffered severe stress and anxiety, and ended up spending over a week in hospital. She found the incident very unsettling and has had difficulty in sleeping and returning to work since.  She did return to work ultimately, but she is still very alert and nervous about letting customers into the store.

The premises were what are frequently described as vulnerable premises. A bottle shop attended by one or two persons is an ideal target for those who wish to commit armed robbery, and as a result need protection from premeditated robberies such as the present one. There were other members of the public in the vicinity at the time, which is an aggravating feature.

The defendant is 27 years old. He is a single man, educated to grade 10, and does have employment skills. He is the father of a daughter. He was using drugs at the time of this offending. It has frequently been said that armed robbery is a very serious offence because of the consequences to those who are robbed, and the dangers to the public who might be in the vicinity. As a result, armed robbery carries – although it cannot be said that there is a tariff for the crime – a significant sentence of imprisonment except in the most unusual circumstances.

The defendant is convicted and is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.  He is not to be eligible for parole until he has served half of that sentence.  So I have made the maximum allowance for parole.

The sentence is backdated to 23 November 2020 in order to take account of time spent in custody in relation to this crime.