Two men have been sentenced for armed robberies committed at Central Square shopping centre in Altona Meadows last year.
Geoffrey Paul Dale, 47, and Daniel Robert Norris, 34, pleaded guilty in the County Court to robbing the Aldi supermarket and TAB with kitchen knives stolen from Coles on February 18 last year.
The court this month heard Norris, a long-term drug abuser, had previously been jailed for armed robbery, and was on bail and serving a community corrections order when he robbed Central Square.
On remand, he had to be placed in protective custody because two of his family members are prison officers.
He was sentenced to five years and seven months’ jail, and will be eligible for parole after three years and six months.
The court heard that Dale, a long-term criminal and also a drug abuser, gained about 60 kilograms while on remand and was so obese that a crutch he needed for walking would not fit around his forearm.
He had been released from prison just days before the Altona Meadows robberies and was living with Norris in a wrecked car.
He was sentenced to five years with a three-year minimum.
The two stole an old Ford Falcon about 9am on the day of the robberies and less than an hour later were at Central Square. Dale waited in the car while Norris went to Coles and stole two kitchen knives.
Norris then returned to the car and pulled a stocking over his face before entering the TAB.
He put a sports bag on the counter and pointed a knife at the woman on the other side, demanding: “Give me all the money”.
When she refused, Norris fled empty-handed.
He then ran into Aldi and pointed his knife at the store manager, who was serving a young woman with her baby boy seated in a trolley.
After being given money from the till, Norris went to the next register and robbed the female cashier, before running with the cash.
Despite being in shock, the Aldi workers took down the registration number of the getaway car.
The pair was arrested 11 days later.
