A Wagga man has been sentenced to time behind bars after he robbed and kidnapped a man who thought he was meeting someone for a Tinder date.
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Jackson Douglas appeared at Wagga District Court for sentencing on Friday after previously pleading guilty to robbery armed with an offensive weapon.
While he was not to be convicted on it, the judge also considered a charge of kidnapping for advantage.
On July 29, the victim matched with a woman on Tinder who he had previously met. After messaging each other, they arranged to meet.
The victim arrived at a home just after midnight on July 31 and soon confronted two men, including Douglas.
He approached the victim, pulling out a knife and took a $10 note, and his car keys.
Douglas also took a photo of the victim's driver and firearms' licence.
Then he took the victim to the car and said, "you are going to help me out for a little while".
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As they were driving, Douglas said, "as long as you stay calm, don't scream and draw any attention, you will be fine".
In submissions made by the defence, it was revealed that Douglas' father died when he was 11, so he began to "hang out with the wrong crowd".
He then began to use cannabis from 12 and ice from 14 and then used crime to fund his habit.
During a hearing, Douglas said that his crimes are getting worse, and he wants to stop "before something really bad happens".
In court on Friday, Judge Gordon Lerve said Douglas had been assessed as being a "high risk" of reoffending and was unable to make a finding that he would not.
"[The report states that] his subsequent exposure to violence and substance use throughout his developmental history has in large part normalised his offending behaviour," he said.
"[Other court reports submitted] are something of a 'two-edged sword' for the offender.
"While they go to help establish the deprived background, they also make plain that the offender in his teenage years resisted the considerable assistance that he was offered."
Judge Lerve said Douglas was entitled to a finding of special circumstances based on his mental health difficulties, need for rehabilitation and the risk of institutionalism,
"The Crown appropriately submits that the matter on the Form 1 [kidnap charge] should have some meaningful impact on the sentence to be imposed on the robbery," he said.
Douglas was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment, backdated to January 31.
He is eligible for parole from October 1, 2023.
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