By Goya Dmytryshchak
A Noble Park man has been sentenced to five years and two months jail for an armed robbery spree, including at McDonald’s restaurants in Altona Meadows and Laverton North where he terrorised staff with a hammer.
The man, now 19, pleaded guilty in the County Court to 11 charges.
The court heard that in the early hours of December 12, 2016, the man and three co-offenders armed with a firearm, machete and hammer committed five armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery.
In one robbery, the man and two co-offenders entered Laverton North McDonald’s about 3am, robbing staff and grabbing about $1500 from the tills.
An accomplice stood over staff holding a firearm while the man ran to the office area where a female staff member was. He raised the hammer above his head and yelled, “Where is the money, where is the safe, open the safe, open the safe”.
He stole her handbag before moving to the drive-through window register and threatening the attendant with a hammer while demanding he open the register.
The man returned to the office where he filled his bag with more coins, telling the female worker to “shut the f… up”.
In the robbery at Altona Meadows McDonald’s on February 8, 2017, the man and three unknown co-offenders forced their way into the restaurant about 3.45am.
He confronted three workers with the hammer and demanded money and mobile phones.
A male co-offender punched the male worker in the face and dragged him by the hair to the front counter to open the tills. They left with cash, car keys, a wallet, handbag and phones.
The man was arrested at Noble Park the same day.
The court heard he had a record stretching back to 2015 for robbery, car theft, handling stolen goods, property damage, assault, affray, cannabis possession, committing an indictable offence while on bail and other offences, but had no prior convictions and had avoided jail.
The court heard in the victim statements that many were unable to sleep, had anxiety, difficulty working at night and, in some cases, were unable to work for various periods of time.
The man will be eligible for parole after serving two and a half years jail.
