Sean Sonnet faces court after alleged Aldi Newcomb hold-up

Sean Sonnet, who once harboured ambitions to be the bodyguard of drug kingpin Carl Williams, has had his case heard over an alleged armed robbery at a Geelong Aldi store.

The case of a former associate of drug kingpin Carl Williams, who is charged with armed robbery, has come to court.

Sean Sonnet is accused of an attempted armed robbery on January 9 at Newcomb.

While on January 10, Mr Sonnet is alleged to have robbed the Aldi supermarket in the Newcomb Central Shopping Centre of more than $1200 using a black-handled kitchen knife.

It is understood no one was injured during both incidents.

The 52-year-old Whittington man did not front the Geelong Magistrates’ Court or apply for bail on Monday when his case was called.

Sean Jason Sonnet at the Supreme Court in Melbourne during 2011.

Court documents reveal Mr Sonnet was charged on January 21 by a detective from the Geelong Crime Investigation Unit.

Mr Sonnet’s lawyer, Emma Turnbull, said her client had elected to remain in the cells during the brief administrative hearing, and understood details of the case.

Mr Sonnet at one point in 2004 had aspired to be Carl Williams’ bodyguard while the latter plotted to kill Carlton Crew member Mario Condello.

Condello survived an initial plot to kill him only to become a victim of the gangland war in 2006.

There is no suggestion Mr Sonnet was involved in the 2006 hit.

His murder remains unsolved and several theories were investigated, including whether now dead hit man Rodney Collins was the contracted hit man who gunned down Condello in his Brighton driveway.

Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel and the mafia were all probed over Condello’s killing.

Ms Turnbull said there were no custody management issues that magistrate John Bentley needed to be aware of. Mr Sonnet is due to face court again on March 17.

Police will have six weeks to prepare a brief of evidence for Mr Sonnet’s legal team.

Originally published as Sean Sonnet faces court after alleged Aldi Newcomb hold-up