Pharmacy Daily | Pharmacy bandit busted

TOWNSVILLE-BASED bandit, Jason Outram, will remain behind bars until Jul 2023 at least, after being convicted of the armed robbery of a pharmacy.

Townsville District Court heard that Outram attempted to disguise himself by wearing sunglasses and a cap, before entering the store brandishing a knife, hours after he had been handed a suspended sentence relating to a separate offence on 28 Sep 2021.

Outram, who was previously jailed for a raid on a pharmacy in Innisfail in 2010, stole approximately $750-worth of medications, which he was informed was for cancer patients, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

The thief then fled the scene of the crime, but was identified a short time later wearing the same clothes he had worn to court in the morning.

Outram's defence barrister, Ross Malcomson, told the Court that he had developed an opioid dependence after being introduced to the drugs while working on fishing trawlers as a teenager.

Malcomson said Outram had subsequently been prescribed the painkillers after being diagnosed as having a back condition, which led him to spiral "further out of control".

Outlining his client's rationale for raiding the store, Malcomson explained that Outram had an argument with his teenage daughter and decided to "prove her right" by holding up the pharmacy.

The barrister noted that Outram's plan was "unsophisticated and doomed to failure".

Judge Jennifer Rosengren sentenced Outram to five years imprisonment for the robbery, including 300 days already served, making him eligible for parole in Jul 2023.