Shane Petrovski pleads guilty to threat, fake gun, thefts

A sex offender walked into a Geelong West bank with a fake gun and threatened workers after being denied access to money.

NAB Bank Pakington Street Geelong West. Picture: Mike Dugdale

A convicted sex offender threatened to shoot a bank worker after becoming frustrated he couldn’t withdraw money from his pension, a court has heard.

Shane Petrovski, 39, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to nine charges – possessing and carrying an imitation firearm, making a threat to kill, resisting an emergency worker, failing to report internet usernames and two counts each of shoplifting and attempting to commit an indictable offence.

The court heard that Petrovski was jailed for a month in March this year, but released on bail at the end of the month after he launched an appeal.

On May 22, Petrovski walked into the Pakington St branch of National Australia Bank (NAB), wanting to withdraw money from his pension account.

He left after being told he wasn’t able to, but returned later that day, only to be again denied.

Petrovski became abusive and aggressive towards bank employees, the court heard, and was asked to leave.

“You should see what’s down my pants,” Petrovski responded, pulling his waistband down to reveal a fake gun.

But it was real enough to the employees, and Petrovski threatened to “blow (a staff member’s) head off”.

Petrovski also tried unsuccessfully to break into Subway in Corio earlier in May.

He was also found to have created a Snapchat account but not reported it – a requirement under his obligations as a registered sex offender.

Petrovski was jailed in 2005 after being convicted of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old in Naracoorte in South Australia, however the sentence was suspended on appeal.

He had accrued a lengthy criminal record since, the court heard, and had fallen into a “wash, rinse, repeat” cycle, of being “in and out” of jail.

Petrovski’s lawyer, Sarah Wood, told the court while her client has spent “quite some time” in jail across his adult life, he had managed to stay out of jail for five years prior to March.

Ms Wood told the court the reason for his offending was a relapse into drug use, particularly xanax.

The court heard Petrovski had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and likely had a learning disability, however he had previously been assessed as “outside” of the target group of a justice plan.

Justice plans offer specific treatment services for offenders with intellectual disabilities.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie adjourned the matter so Petrovski could be reassessed for such a plan.

The court heard Petrovski accepted he was going to have to use another bank, and knew it would have been “incredibly frightening for the victims”.

Ms Wood told the court Petrovski’s time in custody “hasn’t been overly easy” and he’d had a finger amputated, due to an injury that occurred before his arrest.

“This time has given him a bit of clarity,” Ms Wood told the court, noting he had given up smoking and had vowed to quit drugs.

Petrovski will reappear in court in September.

Originally published as Shane Petrovski pleads guilty to threat, fake gun, thefts