An armed robber who stole multiple firearms from the president of the Lang Lang Rifle Club has been jailed for almost nine years.
Tereapii Fred pleaded guilty before the County Court of Victoria to two indictments that included 11 charges related to burglary, armed robbery, firearm offences, using a false document, and possession of traffickable firearms.
The 30-year-old’s offending relates to two incidents, the first involving him pretending to be a police officer over the phone with the president of the Lang Lang Rifle Club.
Calling both the president and his daughter in October 2023, he told them he was “Constable Tottem” and that the president must attend Pakenham Police Station.
As the daughter drove the victim to Pakenham, they did not know that the man calling them was in a car, hired under a falsified driver’s licence, parked a street over from the president’s Koo Wee Rup address.
While they drove to Pakenham Police Station, where they were informed “Constable Tottem” did not exist, Mr Fred entered the property and stole seven firearms, two CB radios, a GMC radio, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, all valued at just over $16,500.
In November, Mr Fred and an associate drove a stolen vehicle to Mulgrave, where they robbed the Vale Hotel of $600 while wielding two handguns that were repeatedly pointed at two victims during the offence.
Later that month, police executed a series of search warrants during which multiple firearms were recovered, including two buried in Scotchmans Creek Trail in Mount Waverley, and an illegal electronic jammer found at an address where Mr Fred was residing.
Mr Fred was arrested. His phone was found to bear the number that had been used to call the president of the rifle club, and his DNA was linked to samples found on a recovered pistol and the stolen vehicle.
Judge Robyn Harper said this “serious offending” required a “substantial degree of planning and sophistication” and was “no doubt terrifying” for the victims.
Judge Harper accepted his expression of remorse since pleading guilty and considered Mr Fred’s personal circumstances, which included experiences of family violence, homelessness, and drug abuse during childhood.
However, his existing criminal record, which includes a previous aggravated burglary conviction, and the seriousness of the offending meant Mr Fred posed an “ongoing risk” to the public.
Judge Harper sentenced Mr Fred to eight years and nine months’ imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of five years and three months.
Mr Fred had served 705 days in detention by the day of his sentencing.
