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Avoca Beach: Man charged over alleged supermarket armed robbery

A man has been arrested over the alleged armed robbery of an Avoca Beach supermarket which shocked the community on July 5.

A man has been arrested over the alleged armed robbery at the Avoca Beach supermarket.
A man has been arrested over the alleged armed robbery at the Avoca Beach supermarket.

A man has been charged over an alleged armed robbery at the Avoca Beach supermarket earlier this month.

Neil Bevan, 28, was arrested at a unit in Karalta Rd, Erina and appeared at Gosford Local Court on Friday.

Police will allege he entered the Avoca Beach Welcome Mart and threatened the female attendant with a knife at around 9.45am on Sunday July 5.

Mr Bevan allegedly fled the scene with a sum of cash, sparking a police search and investigation.

The man will appear in Gosford Local Court. Picture: Sue Graham
The man will appear in Gosford Local Court. Picture: Sue Graham

Following the investigation, detectives conducted a search warrant at a unit on Karalta Rd.

The 28-year-old was arrested at the property and charged with robbery armed with an offensive weapon.

Bevan said nothing when his matter was mentioned in court where his Legal Aid solicitor applied for bail.

He said Mr Bevan could live with his father under effectively house arrest but the magistrate said “his very lengthy record” included five incidents where he had failed to appear at court.

He was refused bail to reappear at court on September 18.

The alleged armed robbery rocked the seaside community of Avoca Beach, with social media flooded with support for the owners and staff of the supermarket.

“This is unheard of in Avoca. It’s a beautiful suburb,” one woman posted.

Avoca Beach Welcome Mart owner Eric Fletcher has thanked the community for its ongoing support.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/avoca-beach-man-charged-over-alleged-supermarket-armed-robbery/news-story/6fae103c932d2a9fdd32ec747ba0891f