The man entered the Nambour store on Monday 16 July around 3:45pm and asked to view a gold chain on sale. The offender fled the store with the gold chain after the female shop assistant handed him the chain.
The woman chased him into a nearby automotive store where the pair wrestled over the chain, which the man held onto as he jumped into a red Toyota Camry parked nearby.
Two men who witnessed the altercation ran to the car in an attempt to complete a citizens’ arrest.However, the offender threatened the pair, claiming he had a gun, before speeding off. One of the witnesses was treated in hospital for a possible fractured arm while the other man and the woman received treatment for minor injuries.
A 28-year-old Margate man has since been charged with two counts each of assaults occasioning bodily harm, one count each of robbery, threats, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and driving without a licence.
Meanwhile, a New Zealand jewellery store was also robbed, this time at knifepoint, on Tuesday 17 July.
The Somerville jeweller was held up about 2:45pm. Detective Inspector Fa’amanuia Va’aelua told the New Zealand Times that a shop assistant was threatened during the robbery.
“Three males entered the store armed with knives. They threatened a store worker, smashed glass counters and took off with items,” he said. “Thankfully nobody was injured during the incident, and police are now following positive lines of enquiry and are in the process of retrieving CCTV footage.”
Investigations are still continuing.
In other robbery news
The mastermind behind the UK Hatton Garden jewellery heist has been released from prison.
Brian Reader left Belmarsh prison in London earlier this month after serving half of his seven-year sentence for his role in the multi-million dollar safety deposit box robbery.
The 79-year-old led a ring of thieves, most of whom were aged in their sixties and seventies, to steal £14 million (AU$24.75 m) worth of jewellery and valuables from the safety deposit box centre back in 2015.
Reader will attend court once a date has been set to settle whether or not he will return to prison for the remainder of his sentence. The Kent man was originally supposed to return to jail after he failed to pay back his £6.5million (AU$11.49 m) confiscation order, which was due this month.
Former Flying Squad commander John O’Connor told The Sun: “He ruined people’s lives, and until he pays back that money, or tells the police what happened to it, he should stay in jail.”
More reading
Michael Hill robbed again, no arrests made
Hatton Garden jewellery thieves jailed
‘Dad’s army’ charged for Hatton Garden jewellery raid
Hollywood-style jewellery heist still baffles