Hapless thieves stole bag of bread rolls
January 21, 2008 06:16pm
Donna Hayes was blasted in the hip by her accomplice Benjamin Jorgensen during last year's bungled April Fool's Day heist, the Victorian County Court heard.
The pair had plotted to flee with what they thought would be $30,000 in takings but ended up netting nothing but a bag of rolls while robbing the Cuckoo Restaurant in Olinda in Melbourne's outer east.
The bumbling continued when Jorgensen used his keys to try to open the wrong car.
"I've heard of the keystone cops - this is keystone robbers," Judge Roland Williams told the court.
The Keystone Kops was a series of silent films made between 1912 and 1917 about a group of incompetant police offiers.
Jorgensen, 38, of Brooklyn, and his former de facto wife Hayes, 36, of Belgrave have pleaded guilty to armed robbery.
Jorgensen also pleaded guilty to negligently causing serious injury over the botched shooting, which landed Hayes in hospital for four weeks.
The court was told Hayes and Jorgensen, whose relationship ended in 1997, were affected by drugs at the time.
The court also heard their relationship had been violent and their two children, aged 11 and 12, were now in foster care.
Jorgensen's lawyer Greg Thomas said his client had a difficult upbringing, a history of substance abuse and was under extreme financial pressure before the robbery.
Mr Thomas said Jorgensen had turned again to drugs to cope emotionally.
"He was in an extremely poor state mentally and making poor decisions," he said.
The court was told Jorgensen had sawn off the barrel of his gun two days before the incident, but had not meant to pull the trigger or hurt anybody.
He regretted the events and admitted his involvement to police early on.
He had a clean record, good work history and good rehabilitation prospects, Mr Thomas said.
Jorgensen's family members gave evidence that he was a gentle, caring father and were shocked at his involvement.
The court was told Hayes suffered depression, lived with chronic pain from a number of health conditions and abused painkillers.
Her lawyer Alan Marshall said she felt guilt over a fatal car accident almost a year before the restaurant robbery. She now faced a significant jail term.
Mr Marshall said her depressed state made her more vulnerable to take part in the theft.
Prosecutor Brian Halpin said the bungled nature of the armed robbery did not make it any less serious.
Justice Roland Williams will sentence the pair tomorrow.
