Winter Valley man Logan Taylor pleads guilty to armed robbery with machete

Logan Taylor, 20, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and recklessly causing injury at the County Court in Ballarat on Tuesday, after an incident on June 19, 2022.

Taylor's family packed out the court for the hearing, with 16 family members in the court room to support the 20-year-old, requiring additional chairs to be brought in.

The court heard Taylor and the victim of the attack, at 28-year-old male, had been messaging each other on Snapchat in the days leading up to the incident.

Throughout the day of June 19, 2022, Taylor had arranged to buy cannabis from the 28-year-old from a house in Canadian.

Taylor arrived at the address later that day, and the man brought the bag of cannabis to Taylor, who was sitting in his car on the other side of the road.

After some small talk, Taylor told the man he had no intention of paying for the drugs, after which the man snatched the drugs back from Taylor's lap.

Taylor left the car and began running after the man, holding a machete he had grabbed from his car.

He chased the man up the driveway, during which the man told Taylor he was disabled, having lost effective function of his right arm in a car crash.

The pair began to wrestle and fell into a nearby garden bed, with the bag of cannabis falling from the man's possession.

Taylor then swung the machete at the man - hitting him in the left arm, and took the bag.

He returned to the car, with the man and his friend giving chase, during which Taylor's drivers' side window was smashed.

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The victim suffered a laceration on his left arm and was taken to the Ballarat Base Hospital's emergency room, where he had to undergo surgery.

The man's friend reported the incident to police.

Taylor was arrested on June 23, 2022. Police were unable to find the machete or clothing he was wearing during the robbery.

Parts of a victim impact statement were read out in court, which told of how the 28-year-old man had suffered heightened anxiety and depression following the incident.

Taylor's defence counsel Jonathan Miller tendered a psychological report/

Mr Miller said Taylor had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and although did not intend to pay for the cannabis, did not bring the machete for the purposes of the robbery.

Judge David Sexton said due to the nature of his offending, Taylor would be sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

However, if the matter was resolved before his 21^st birthday, Taylor would be able to serve the sentence at a youth justice centre, as opposed to an adult prison where he was deemed to be vulnerable.

"It has to be seen as a serious example of armed robbery. It is not just presenting a weapon, it is used. The footage shows a fairly active endeavor I think," Judge Sexton said.

"It (imprisonment) is an inevitable outcome in the circumstances of your case... I suggest you spend time with your family this week."

Taylor will reappear in court for sentencing on March 21.

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