A YOUNG man with an addiction to prescription medication handed himself into police in April and allegedly confessed to using a large knife to commit an armed robbery at a service station at Bennetts Green a few days earlier. He was "extremely remorseful", police said, after he "became aware that he was responsible" and because he had no prior criminal record and had handed himself in police granted him conditional bail.
The next day he was arrested at home and charged with another armed robbery at a convenience store at Redhead, a strikingly similar hold-up that he later allegedly told police he did not remember committing.
Decklen Deaves-Thornton, 18, of Windale, did not appear in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday charged with two counts of armed robbery.
Mr Deaves-Thornton, who is represented by solicitor Mark Ramsland, remains behind bars and will next appear in court in September.
According to court documents, detectives allege Mr Deaves-Thornton was wearing a hooded jumper and had a mask over his face when he walked into the BP service station at Bennetts Green armed with a large knife about 3.45am on April 6. He approached the counter where an employee was being trained and waved the knife around, demanding money and cigarettes.
He was handed cash and 15 packets of cigarettes, which he stuffed into a bag before fleeing on foot around the back of the service station.
The entire robbery was captured on CCTV.
Five days later, Mr Deaves-Thornton went to Belmont police station with his mother to "hand himself in", allegedly confessing to the BP service station robbery and saying he had scant recollection of what happened because he had taken 10 Xanax tablets in the 24 hours before.
He was "extremely remorseful" and had only vague memories of what he had been doing around the time of the robbery.
He was granted conditional bail and returned home.
But his freedom was short-lived. He was arrested the next day after detectives allegedly linked him to an armed robbery at a Redhead convenience store a day after the BP service station robbery.
In that case police allege they have text messages between Mr Deaves-Thornton and a woman he tried to convince to act as a getaway driver during the robbery.
In the text exchange, Mr Deaves-Thornton allegedly sends the woman: "Need a way to do this job good coin in it for u take me to Redhead".
He also allegedly tells the woman he will give her "cash and a packet of smokes" and the robbery is "planned" and "I have the best set up" and says "I got away yesterday as well". About 7.40am on that day a man who detectives allege was Mr Deaves-Thornton entered the Friendly Grocer convenient store at Redhead, pulled out a large knife and stole packets of cigarettes. When he was interviewed after his arrest, Mr Deaves-Thornton "denied remembering the incident, as he claimed to be under the influence of drugs".
