Two men who robbed a Wagga taxi driver at knifepoint will learn their fate later this month.
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Jai Coe and Robert Campbell-Betts, who were 19 and 20 years old respectively at the time of the offences, appeared at Wagga District Court on Friday for a sentencing hearing after earlier pleading guilty.
Both were charged with robbery in company and aggravated take and drive a motor vehicle with a person in it while armed with an offensive weapon.
Court documents reveal that a taxi driver was tasked to pick up two people from Tolland on April 21, 2020. Campbell-Betts sat in the front while Coe got into the rear and said "just drive".
The victim was told to stop at the corner of Heath Street and Fernleigh Road in Turvey Park, where both men pulled out knives.
Coe leant over and put a knife to the driver's chest, and one of them said "give us all your money". Fearing he would be stabbed, the driver gave them $150 and his phone.
Campbell-Betts put his knife close to the driver's chest and told him to get out. The taxi driver ran away as Campbell-Betts jumped into the driver's seat and drove off. They drove for six minutes before abandoning it.
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"My ex-partner used to come around to the house and argue with me ... it impacted the kids because he used to terrorise me," Ms Campbell said.
"I had to move from my house in Albury to Wagga."
Ms Campbell said that her son had also struggled after his father's death, especially as he was not able to attend the funeral due to being incarcerated.
Campbell-Betts' lawyer Hannah Dreher provided written submissions but asked the judge to note his age, the early plea and consider the "carjacking" offence below the mid-range of seriousness.
"With consideration of the objective factors ... the lack of significant injury to the victim, the lack of ongoing harm to the victim, the small amount that is taken, the short period of time the car is driven and the lack of damage to the vehicle," she said.
Coe's solicitor Bronte Winn, who also made written submissions, noted that he was on an intensive correction order at the time.
Judge Gordon Lerve questioned Ms Winn, saying Coe had a "longstanding drug problem".
"He robbed the taxi driver to fund his drug use," he said.
Ms Winn asked the judge to consider that due to the pandemic, Coe had not been able to access many of the support programs.
She said that he has a "guarded" prospect of rehabilitation. The matter returns to court on June 25.
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