Philip Anthony Brownlow jailed for violent bottle shop robberies

Patrons weren’t going to sit idly by as four men robbed their local so they armed themselves with pool cues and launched a counter attack on the getaway car. Watch the crazy footage.

Courageous patrons launched an attack on the getaway car after four men threatened bottle shop employees with weapons, CCTV footage reveals.

Philip Anthony Brownlow, 27, said he agreed to participate in the violent robberies as he didn’t want to be viewed as a snitch.

The District Court heard Brownlow and three other men drove into the Halfway Hotel’s bottle shop at Beverley on March 16, 2020.

One of the men approached the first victim, a bottle shop attendant and swung a crowbar at him before walking into the bar inside the hotel.

While in the bar the man then confronted another employee, snatched her handbag and attempted to grab at the till.

“While trying to intervene she was thrown to the floor, hitting her head where she received a cut to her forehead and bruising to her upper body,” Judge Anthony Allen said during sentencing.

The other two men then entered the bottle shop, with Brownlow following while carrying a silver hatchet.

The men returned to the car with multiple bottles of alcohol.

“Patrons of the hotel bravely launched a counter offensive and attacked the Captiva by kicking it and hitting it with pool cues before the vehicle fled the scene,” Judge Allen said.

As the men tried to get away three hotel patrons launched the attack on their getaway car. Photo: Courts SA

The brave patrons weren’t going to let the men get away without a fight. Photo: Courts SA

One of the bumbling thieves fell over during the robbery. Photo: Courts SA

Judge Allen said the CCTV footage of the robbery was “confronting to say the least”.

The men then went to Challa Gardens Hotel drive-through bottle shop at West Croydon.

One of Brownlow’s co-offenders got out of the car and swung a meat cleaver at an employee, causing a cut, while another man grabbed the till.

The car used in the robberies was found at a Renown Park address the next day.

The Munno Para father-of-two pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery.

The court heard Brownlow admitted to consuming drugs on the day of the offending.

He said he didn’t want to be involved in the robberies but would be viewed by the others as a snitch otherwise.

Judge Allen sentenced Brownlow to six years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of three years and ten months. He was also disqualified from driving for one year.

“The victims of these crimes were just going about their business and did not deserve what they experienced that day,” Judge Allen said.

“The patrons were just having a drink at the pub and should never have been forced into having to defend their local.”

The sentence was backdated to September 7, 2020.