Blackburn: Paul Hose jailed for armed robbery of Australia Post Office
A young father who held a gun to workers at a Blackburn post office on Christmas Eve and threatened to kill them both has been sentenced in the County Court.
Inner East
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A man who held up an eastern suburbs post office on Christmas Eve, holding a gun to staff and threatening to kill them, had only been bailed the day before, a court has heard.
Paul Hose, 27, was jailed for four years and eight months after he pleaded guilty to armed robbery and theft, and three summary offences, including contravening a Family Violence Intervention order.
At his sentencing this morning, the County Court heard the father committed his fourth armed robbery when he held up the Australia Post Office in Blackburn about 4pm on Monday, December 24, 2018.
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The court heard he pointed a handgun at an employee’s chest before asking the man to open the safe, saying he would kill him if he didn’t.
When the employee revealed the small safe behind the counter was empty, Hose climbed over the counter and escorted the employee into the mail room where the manager was.
Hose pointed the gun at the manager, demanding she open the store’s safe.
Once the safe was open, he instructed the employee fill the satchel with the money from the safe while he took the manager with him as he took money from the tills.
He then demanded the employee remove the CCTV harddrive, and when the employee didn’t understand, did so himself.
Hose told the staff not to leave the office, fleeing through a back door with the harddrive and $2795.10 in cash.
“You said if they called the police you would come back and kill them both,” Judge Michael Cahill said.
“Very shortly after you committed the armed robbery, you sent (your ex-partner) a photo of a black bag containing cash, and a message ‘for us’ with kisses.”
Just the day before, on December 23, Hose had been charged with possessing methylamphetamine and with stealing a motorbike in St Kilda on December 14, and bailed to appear before a Magistrates’ Court at a later date.
Hose was arrested at a house in Boronia on December 27, but denied involvement in the armed robbery and was released.
He was then caught violating a Family Violence Intervention order on January 14 when he called police about his bail conditions from a landline phone at his ex-partner’s address, where he was prohibited from being near.
Police began surveying Hose and just hours later saw him leaving the property riding the stolen motorbike — despite being on a suspended licence — before he was arrested.
The court heard Hose, who has been in police custody since, initially denied the crimes, before pleading guilty shortly after and showing remorse.
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The court heard he had been in jail several times since 2010, having committed three previous armed robberies, two other thefts of motor vehicles, and was only released from jail in 2018.
Judge Cahill said he was taking into account both Hose’s criminal history, his difficult and disadvantaged personal circumstances and his desire to turn his life around for his five-year-old daughter in sentencing.
“Armed robbery is an inherently serious offence,” he said.
“Your violent actions, as you yourself acknowledged, would have been frightening for the innocent victims.”
Hose was handed a non-parole period of three years.