The 21-year-old woman who allegedly raided a Subway while wearing a burqa has been unmasked.
Felicity Chafer-Smith, 21, allegedly robbed a Subway franchise and threatened staff with a knife in Croydon, Melbourne’s east, about 5.30pm on Saturday.
Subway employees were allegedly forced to hand over cash before Chafer-Smith, who was reportedly wearing a full Islamic face covering, fled the scene.
Felicity Chafer-Smith, 21, allegedly robbed a Subway franchise in Croydon, in Melbourne’s east, with a knife and threatened staff about 5.30pm on Saturday
Chafer-Smith’s 38-year-old boyfriend Clinton Phillips was allegedly alongside her during the alleged armed-robbery.
Police allege Chafer-Smith and Phillips were responsible for a string of robberies across Melbourne in recent days, including a jewellery store heist in Traralgon and a robbery at a Shell service station at Morwell.
Victoria police allege the pair were also behind a robbery at a second Subway store.
There were no reports of injuries during any of the alleged incidents.
Chafer-Smith, from Narre Warren, was charged with armed robbery and was remanded to appear in court at a later date.
Phillips was charged with armed robbery and other related offences.
He was remanded in custody to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.
Chafer-Smith’s 38-year-old boyfriend Clinton Phillips was allegedly involved in the armed-robbery as well
Subway employees were allegedly forced to hand over cash before Chafer-Smith, who was reportedly wearing a full Islamic face covering, fled the scene
Karen, whose granddaughter was an employee at the eatery, was horrified to learn what happened.
‘A woman came in in a full burqa, brandished a knife, asked for the money,’ she told 3AW.
‘She asked to see the safe, he [a male Subway employee] said they didn’t have a safe, and she proceeded to take the money and put it into a Coles bag.’
The burqa-clad woman allegedly entered the fast-food restaurant (pictured) in Croydon, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs at 5:30pm and threatened workers
‘A woman came in in a full burqa, brandished a knife, asked for the money,’ a relative of an employee who saw CCTV footage said
Karen said the woman then got into a car waiting on a main road outside.
The incident comes amid fierce debate surrounding the full-face burqa after Pauline Hanson entered the Senate wearing the Islamic garb on Thursday.
Ms Hanson told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday ‘the security risks associated with full-face coverings, like the burqa, are obvious to me and many Australians. Today’s incident makes this very clear’.
‘While many people agreed with me that the burqa is oppressive and has no place in western society, many laughed off my security concerns. It’s safe to say they are not laughing now.’
The One Nation senator took to social media to demand to know why her warnings about full-face veils are being ignored (pictured)
The incident comes amid fierce debate about whether the burqa should be banned in parliament after Pauline Hanson (pictured) entered the Senate wearing the Muslim garment
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