A drunk man attempted to rob a 72-year-old of $20 he had withdrawn from an ATM while armed with a taser.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sean Phipps, now 31, followed the victim from a Croatian Club in Bell Park in Geelong where he was playing pokies to the ATM on a January night.
He said 'give us all your f*cking money now' after the man had withdrawn $20 while pointing a homemade taser at the victim which made a noise and emitted a blue electrical current.
A prosecution summary of offending reveals the elderly man became angry and tried to defend himself, grabbing hold of Phipps' arm and swinging him to the ground.
They scuffled and the victim punched Phipps to the head a few times before getting up off the ground.
While he was standing faced away, Phipps struck the back of the victim's head with an object.
It is very concerning a man of his age, alone, late at night, walking out of a pokies venue and towards an ATM should be approached and injured.
- Vivienne Jones, Crown prosecutor
The victim walked back to the Croatian Club and the security guard noticed the victim was bleeding from the back of the head.
The victim took some of Phipps' items that he saw on the ground and handed them to police, leading to his identification.
Police searched Phipps' property and found methylamphetamine.
Phipps was interviewed by police and admitted to being drunk at the time.
He has been in custody since February 4, 2021.
Phipps pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery, recklessly causing injury and drug possession.
He appeared at the County Court in Ballarat via video link from prison on Monday.
Defence lawyer Adrian Paull said Phipps' intoxication and polysubstance abuse disorder that led to daily drug use played a role in the offending.
He said Phipps had a tragic personal history including family violence.
Mr Paull said Phipps had post traumatic stress disorder and had pleaded guilty at an early stage, showing his remorse.
"It is very concerning a man of his age, alone, late at night, walking out of a pokies venue and towards an ATM should be approached and injured," Crown prosecutor Vivienne Jones said.
"An injury to the back of his head is of great concern."
Phipps will return to court for sentencing in November.
He is also appealing a sentencing of eight months jail for assault related matters, including of a 16-year-old at his work 12 punches to the face of another man.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.