10-year-old boy charged with attempted armed robbery after holding up trucker with toy cap gun

A 10-year-old boy from the Guildford suburb of Perth, Australia, has appeared in court after he allegedly tried to hold up a truck driver with a toy handgun in Midland on Wednesday. The driver was sitting in his truck after making a delivery at a Great Eastern Highway shopping center when between 4pm and 4.30pm he was approached by a person at his door. The diminutive boy appeared in Perth Children’s Court on Thursday morning.

His mother sat in the public gallery of the court holding back tears, with her three other sons. During his appearance, the court was told the boy had taken a silver cap gun and removed the orange cap at the end before approaching the truck driver. He then allegedly went up to the truck driver who was filling out paperwork after making a delivery to Woolworths and told the man: “Get out, this is a robbery” and “You are about to get robbed”.
The child then allegedly pulled the trigger making a cap go off, causing a loud bang. The State opposed bail because of the seriousness of the allegations, with the prosecutor telling Magistrate Timothy Schwass the boy is already on bail for 13 charges of criminal damage and common assault. However, the child’s defense lawyer Ernesto Godinez told the court the incident sounded like “a prank or joke going very wrong”.

Mr Godinez also said the boy had yet to appear in court on any of the damage charges but was in court on Wednesday for the common assault charge. The boy was released on bail to appear in Midland Children’s Court so the current charge can be joined with his other charges. Magistrate Schwass told the boy to “be sensible” as he granted bail. Earlier police revealed the boy, wearing dark clothing with a hood covering his head, pointed a handgun at the trucker, made threats then pulled the trigger, causing a loud bang. Police stopped the 10-year-old boy a short time later and it will be alleged he had a toy cap gun. He has been charged with attempted armed robbery.