A man has admitted to robbing a Daylesford bottle shop of $11,700 worth of alcohol and cigarettes while armed with a weapon.
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Matthew Peter Dargan, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday to one count of armed robbery.
Court documents obtained by The Courier states Dargan was charged with robbing Cellarbrations Daylesford of $11,745 worth of alcohol and cigarettes, armed with a knife on May 2, 2017.
For pleading guilty, the prosecution withdrew one charge of dealing with proceeds of crime. The prosecution are seeking to amend the armed robbery charge to state the weapon was a gun, instead of a knife.
Dargan, who appeared via videolink from Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre, represented himself at the hearing.
Dargan told the court he lodged paperwork for a lawyer but he was yet to receive a response. He said had been in custody since his arrest on May 30.
Magistrate Ronald Saines committed Dargan to the County Court at Ballarat for a plea hearing on the circuit starting on September 25.
Dargan’s alleged co-accused, Micah David Walker, appeared via videolink at the court for a brief hearing. His lawyer requested an adjournment to September 14.
Mr Saines told the lawyer Walker’s co-accused was pleading guilty and CCTV footage of the alleged incident should be the basics for taking instructions.
He said charges of dealing with proceeds of crime would be withdrawn if Walker pleaded guilty.
Walker is facing five charges, including armed robbery, dealing with proceeds of crime and committing indictable offences while on bail. He was remanded in custody until September 14.
