By LAURA WAKELY
BRIMBANK Embona is asking victims of armed robberies to come forward after arresting a
trio of young men last week.
A 20-year-old, 17-year-old and 13-year-old have been charged over numerous robberies where the victims bargained with the offenders, exchanging cash for the goods they had just stolen from them.
The trio has been charged with five counts of armed robbery and six counts of conspiring to commit armed robberies in and around the Ginifer Railway Station and Cairnlea areas, using screwdrivers, knives and a pole to threaten their victims.
The first incident took place on Saturday 1 September in West Footscray, when the three
offenders are alleged to have approached a man of Asian appearance and made demands for
his phone and iPad.
The man handed over his Nokia mobile but refused to hand over the iPad.
The victim offered the offenders up to $40 in exchange for his phone, which they accepted
before fleeing the scene.
A man of Asian appearance was also targeted in the second armed robbery on Monday 3
September.
As in the first incident, the alleged offenders demanded the victim’s mobile phone, before
returning it in exchange for cash.
The man was believed to be carrying an LG mobile phone and handed over $920 cash to the
offenders.
Detective Senior Constable Gerry Fabbro said it was unusual for victims to negotiate with offenders, but not unheard of, as victims would rather lose money than phones or laptops with valuable information.
But he said people should not try to bargain with offenders carrying weapons, as they could get injured.
Investigators believe two of the trio’s attacks have not been reported to police and are calling for the victims to come forward.
Det Snr Const Fabbro said victims may not have reported the incidents to police as they may not have taken them as serious offences, with a relatively small amount of cash involved in the first incident.
“They’re (offenders) definitely not a gang or anything like that,” Dte Snr Const Fabbro said.
“They’re very naïve about the severity of what they were doing.”
The 20-year-old was been remanded in custody to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in
November.
The teenagers were bailed to appear in Sunshine Children’s Court in November and
December.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the group or has any information
regarding these incidents is urged to contact Brimbank Embona’s Detective Senior Constable Gerry Fabbro or Constable Janine Adams at Keilor Downs Police Station on 9365 3380.
