A jury has been discharged after it was unable to decide whether the accused robbed a man in Haig Park, or the allegation was invented after the victim was swindled in a drug deal.
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Ivan Stephen Djerke, 41, had faced an ACT Supreme Court trial over allegations he held a knife to a man's neck and demanded cash in the early hours of March 3, 2016.
Mr Djerke had pleaded not guilty to the sole charge.
The jury had heard the alleged victim left his home with his partner at Northbourne Flats in Braddon and withdrew money from an ATM about 3am that morning.
He was carrying $170 and walking home with his partner when they saw Mr Djerke in Haig Park, and allegedly rebuffed him when he demanded money, the court heard.
Mr Djerke allegedly said, "Mate, I'm cranky now, hand it over" and pressed a 10cm pocket knife to the man's stomach before taking his money and leaving.
But defence barrister James Stewart told jurors there was no robbery, and it was actually a voluntary transaction.
The alleged victim in fact handed over $150 for a substance he thought was methamphetamine, or ice, but later found was sugar, Mr Stewart said.
"The story was cooked up, because you won't be surprised that if you're sold sugar instead of ice, there's no-one you can complain to," he had told the jury.
On Friday, the jury was discharged by Chief Justice Helen Murrell when it returned to court after two days of deliberations and said it was unable to reach a verdict.
The matter will return to court at a later date.
