Carmela Lo Bosco pleads to Hadfield Westend Cellars burglary
A mum battling a range of mental issues was roped into helping two experienced criminals hold up bottle shops in Melbourne’s north, ferrying them to and from the scenes of the crimes. And they even used her son’s sporting gear in the offending.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A mother-of-three helped two career armed robbers hold up bottle shops in Melbourne’s north, ferrying them to and from the scenes of the crimes.
But Carmela Lo Bosco, who pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery, managed to avoid jail when she was sentenced before the County Court on Thursday, September 3 due to her impaired mental function.
The court heard the 49-year-old helped two men in their 50s rob two bottle shops while brandishing weapons in June 2019 by acting as their getaway driver and giving them a baseball bat.
Lo Bosco, who was dating one of the men, picked them up from Tullamarine on June 2, 2019, before they asked if she had anything that could be used as a weapon.
She told them to look in her car boot, where they found her son’s baseball bat, then told her to drive to Westend Cellars in Hadfield.
The pair then used the bat to hold up the store’s staff, and took about $1000 in cash and alcohol before they were driven from the scene by Lo Bosco.
She again picked them up on June 9, taking them to Pascoe Vale Cellars, where they covered their faces and used a large knife to threaten staff and take about $800 of cash, cigarettes and goods.
The men jumped back in her car after the robbery and she drove them to Broadmeadows.
The court heard the men had extensive criminal histories, with one having only just completed a 13-year prison sentence for a series of armed robberies.
When she was arrested on June 14, 2019, Lo Bosco told police she was scared of the men and had felt vulnerable.
Judge Frank Gucciardo said while Lo Bosco had played an important role as driver, he accepted she hadn’t been involved in planning the crimes, and that the demands of the “experienced criminals” would have been intimidating.
The court heard the divorced Essendon West mother-of-three was a heroin user at the time and was on a disability pension.
Lo Bosco had previously been before a court for charges including careless driving and thefts.
Psychologists reports read to the court revealed she had borderline cognitive function, borderline personality disorder, drug induced psychosis and schizophrenia, and that jail would have a destructive effect on her.
Judge Gucciardo found Lo Bosco’s impaired mental function, which was not entirely caused by her own actions, lowered her culpability and meant she could avoid jail time for the crimes.
He sentenced her to a two-year community corrections order, including 100 hours community work, drug treatment and supervision.
MORE: HOW A WOMAN THREATENED POLICE FOUR TIMES IN FOUR DAYS
STRANGE THEFTS: DILDOS, UNDIES, LEGO ON SHOPLIFTERS’ LIST