Man pleads guilty to robbery, grooming Melbourne teen who held gun to security guard's head
FIRST ON 7: A man has pleaded guilty to robbery and admitted he groomed a 15-year-old Melbourne boy who held a gun to a security guard's head during the heist.
Footage shows the masked and hooded armed teenage robber holding a gun to the head of a security guard outside the Keilor Hotel in May 2015.
He steals the man's watch, then marches him inside, with the gun still pointed menacingly at his back.
His arms raised, the terrified security worker hits the ground as the pair enters the gaming floor.
The guard lays motionless as the robbery team steals just over $2000.
The teen steals the man's watch, then marches him inside, with the gun still pointed menacingly at his back.
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The 24-year-old puppet master, Rami Khoshaba, pleaded guilty to organising the robbery and another attempted robbery half an hour earlier at the Reggio Calabria club in Parkville.
Khoshaba recruited the teen and the second man, armed them and provided disguises.
They carried out the heist as Khoshaba waited outside in the getaway car.
When it was over, Khoshaba robbed the robbers and took all of the $2098 stolen from the Keilor Hotel before fleeing in a separate car.
Khoshaba admitted in court it was his addictions to gambling and ice that fuelled the robbery – the addictions he then fed with the takings.
The trio was arrested and charged three weeks after the robbery.
The 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 18 months youth detention, his co-offender was handed a six-month community corrections order.
Khoshaba will be sentenced on July 4.
News break – June 20
