He tried to use a jacket over his head to hide his identity but the man behind an armed robbery near Tamworth will spend at least another year in jail.
Bo Matthews was jailed for three-years-and-nine-months for the armed hold-up of the Caltex service station in Werris Creek, last year.
Matthews was staring down the barrel of a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for the offence of robbery armed with an offensive weapon.
In sentencing in the district court in Tamworth, Judge Deborah Payne said she would have jailed Matthews for five years but he was entitled to a 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea in the local court in March.
She imposed the head sentence of three-years-and-nine months backdated to his March 2019 arrest.
She also ordered he spend two-years-and-three-months in custody before he’s eligible for parole.
Matthews’ other charges of larceny and destroying property were dealt with on a form one certificate and taken into account in sentencing for the robbery offence.
He will be eligible for parole in June 2021.
The 24-year-old was armed with a large knife when he walked into the Single Street Caltex service station, about 7.30pm on March 23, 2019.
Using a jacket to try and shield his identity, he demanded money from the employee and then fled with a sum of cash.
Police released CCTV images as part of their investigation, before homing in on Matthews as their prime suspect three days later.
Matthews was being hunted by police for his involvement in the hold-up, when they found him hiding in the boot of a Holden Commodore at a Henry Street property in Werris Creek.
He was charged with three offences and has been behind bars ever since.
Extracted from Northern Daily Leader