John Papalii, brother of Australian Kangaroos, Queensland and Raiders rugby league player Josh, has been charged with robbery, attempted robbery, common assault and resisting a police officer.
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Magistrate Lorraine Walker refused Papalii, a member of the Raiders under-20s squad last year, bail on the likelihood he might reoffend and be a threat within the community.
He has been remanded in custody to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
Police allege the 20-year-old robbed, threatened staff and attempted to rob supermarkets in the Canberra suburbs of Pearce and Spence on Friday.
He told staff at the supermarkets he had a gun, although no gun was seen, according to ACT Policing’s statement of facts tendered to the court.
Police say that at 11.55am, Papalii – wearing thongs, beige shorts, a shirt with the word "WADE" written across the front and a dark top with the hood pulled up but his face exposed – asked the console operator at the FoodWorks supermarket in Pearce whether he could do him a favour.
"Can you give me $200?" Papalii is alleged to have said.
"I don’t have any money," the staff member replied.
It is claimed Papalii responded by saying: "I don’t want to hurt you but I’ve got a gun with me."
Police say the accused then gestured towards his right hip area and the staff member saw a bulge under the man’s T-shirt and something tucked into his pants.
After receiving $200 from the staff member, police allege Papalii said: "Can I ask you another favour? Give me another $100. I don’t want to hurt you."
Police say CCTV recorded Papalii walking out of the store with $300.
At 5.10pm, the accused allegedly robbed the same FoodWorks store of $40 – an incident also captured on camera and where he wore the same "WADE" T-shirt, police say.
At 7pm on Friday, Papalii, while reaching into his jumper, told a man working at the Five Star Supermarket in Spence: "I want $200. I have a gun."
The man working behind the counter
refused and then said: "No, show me the gun." Police say Papalii left the store after this and the incident was also caught on closed-circuit television.
At 7.40pm, a caller told police a man of Islander appearance was hiding in bushes at Hancock Street, Spence.
At 7.52pm, police saw a man of Islander appearance wearing a T-shirt with the word "WADE" written across the front in a backyard in nearby Emerton Street.
While trying to stop the accused, a police officer was thrown to the ground and was taken to Calvary Hospital to have his biceps examined and thorns removed from his back.
Police say other officers apprehended the accused.
