WHEN a gang of masked, armed robbers appeared spooked by a police car near a bowling club they wanted to roll, they simply drove off and picked a pub instead, a court heard yesterday.
Little did they know that, as they covered their faces, picked up machetes and baseball bats, and headed towards the front doors of the Royal Oak Hotel at Cessnock, police were watching.
Maitland Local Court heard that the four men, aged between 19 and 22, were either arrested near the pub or following a 30-minute police pursuit, which sped through at least seven coalfields towns before their car slammed into a median strip and concrete wall at Gillieston Heights.
Two of the men, Tyron Lane, 22, of no fixed abode, and Samuel McGee, 19, of Hamilton South, were also charged with the violent armed robbery of the Mary Ellen Hotel at Merewether on November 30, where a patron was attacked and other staff and patrons threatened by three men armed with machetes.
The two other men were named as Narjik Newman, 19, and Timothy Onslow, 20, both of Hamilton South.
None have been required to enter pleas, although the court was told that McGee and Onslow wanted to indicate they would likely be pleading guilty to the charges at a later date.
Strike Force Madeira was set up following the Mary Ellen heist, where about $30,000 was stolen, and quickly identified a suspect. A police fact sheet tendered in court, said investigations led to police suspecting another armed robbery was being planned for Sunday night.
But when the four suspects drove into the car park of Teralba Bowling Club, they were spooked by police nearby.
Instead, the court heard they headed to Cessnock, where plastic bags were placed over the number plates before they drove to near the Royal Oak Hotel about 11pm.
‘‘As the four males began to enter the hotel, tactical police identified themselves and called on them to surrender,’’ the police facts said.
But all four ran off – three got back in the car and a fourth, alleged to be Onslow, ran down a street and was arrested.
A chase involving the tactical police, highway patrol and other police cars continued for 30 minutes through towns including Ellalong, Bellbird, Neath, Abermain, Kurri Kurri, Heddon Greta and Gillieston Heights.
Newman and McGee were arrested at the accident scene and Lane was arrested in Cessnock early yesterday morning.
Onslow will appear in Newcastle Local Court tomorrow and the other three on February 6.
