Robbery is a combination of the offences of Theft and Assault. Robbery is the taking of property through the use of violence, threats of violence, a weapon or imitation weapon in the commission of the offence. An utterance of a threat of force, before the taking of someone’s property, is sufficient to establish the offence of Robbery. If someone is killed during the course of a robbery, the prosecution can lay the additional charge of First-Degree Murder
Robbery is considered to be a violent offence and thus deemed one of the more serious criminal charges. The court will look at additional aggravating factors of the case to determine the severity of the charge such as: the use of weapons; if anyone was injured or killed; the vulnerability of the complainant; the value of property stolen; the criminal history of the accused; and, whether the accused is associated with any organized crime.