The youth was released on bail at a Children’s Court this week on conditions which included a curfew and that he reside at a specific address in Mildura.

However the accused, who armed himself with a rock to rob the Caltex Service Station at the corner of Fifteenth Street and Walnut Avenue last Friday morning, was located by police in Deakin Avenue early yesterday morning in contravention of both conditions.

A Children’s Court was told the youth confronted a female employee at the service station about 6.15am last Friday and demanded money while hiding his face with a T-shirt.

The court was told the female victim was still unable to return to work and police had concerns that the accused would reoffend if released on bail again.

The police informant said the teenager was seen by police in Deakin Avenue between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets about 2.20am yesterday and subsequently arrested later that morning after the police patrol vehicle was called to an urgent job.

The court was told that while there were no allegations the youth had further offended, he had breached “fairly lenient” bail conditions.

However, the youth’s defence counsel said the nominated residential address was not available early this week and youth justice workers had arranged alternative, short-term accommodation.

The counsel said the accused had been at a house in Mildura, other than that stipulated in his bail conditions, during the day, had fallen asleep and woke up being “quite hungry” outside his curfew hours.

The court was told he decided to get something to eat and travelled with another person in a taxi to Deakin Avenue where he was spoken to by police.

The defence counsel said the breach of bail was “very minor” and youth justice workers were supportive of the accused receiving bail.

In refusing a police application to revoke bail, the magistrate said it was a breach at the “low end” and the accused was now well aware of his curfew conditions.

A Children’s Court was earlier told the youth neither remembered planning or carrying out the robbery while armed with a cricket ball-sized rock and drug use may provide some explanation to his offending.

His sentence for the offence has been deferred to a later date.

This article appeared in Thursday's Sunraysia Daily 2-2-2012.