CCTV footage has revealed the shocking moment a female Aldi worker was knocked unconscious with a baseball bat in a botched armed robbery at the supermarket giant’s Albion Park Rail store.
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Video of the January 2017 incident played in Wollongong court on Monday shows the woman serving customers inside the Ash Road store when her drug-fuelled attacker, Mervyn Davidson, storms through the entrance carrying an aluminium baseball bat.
He approaches the victim, who is on the till closest to the door, and swings the bat towards her face, hitting her in the right side of her head.
The woman instantly collapses to the ground unconscious as fellow shoppers scatter in fear. Davidson then kicks the woman in a bid to get closer to till, yelling “open the register, give me the money, open the till”.
An unidentified shopper in a black t-shirt confronts Davidson and rams him with a trolley, while a male employee runs up behind Davidson and grabs him in a bear hug.
Both men then wrestle with Davidson in an attempt to disarm him. They are soon assisted by another shopper and the trio restrain Davidson until police arrive.
Footage captured from a different camera angle shows the entire incident unfolds in front of a young boy, whose father tries to shield him from the confronting scene.
Court documents reveal the victim was in Wollongong Hospital for five days with bleeding on the brain and facial fractures. She is yet to return to work full time.
Meantime, Davidson went on to punch a police officer in the face while in custody, then two days later, choked his cellmate unconscious in Silverwater jail.
Davidson was charged over all three incidents and eventually pleaded guilty.
At his sentence hearing on Monday, Davidson said he was under the influence of ice at the time and had no memory of his actions, however was sorry for the harm he’d caused.
“I shouldn’t have done it,” he said.
“If she [the employee] was here I’d apologise to her.”
Judge Andrew Haesler said Davidson had a lengthy criminal history however no similar matters on his record.
He said Davidson’s prospects of rehabilitation hinged on whether he could remain drug-free in the community.
Davidson will be sentenced next Thursday.
Do you know more? Email cos@illawarramercury.com.au
