Mark Richards pleads guilty to attempted armed robbery in Geelong County Court

A drug addict who was brandishing a 10cm knife when he attempted to rob a man near Coles in Corio has been hit with a hefty sentence.

A Norlane man who used a 10cm knife to try to rob another man in an early morning hold-up has been sentenced to at least a year and 10 months in jail.

Mark Richards, 44, was hit with a one-year-ten-month non-parole period in the County Court on Wednesday after he pounced on his 38-year-old male victim on April 8 about 6.30am near Coles in Corio.

Richards, who pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and committing an indictable offence while on bail, was sentenced to a three-year-and-one-month jail term.

The County Court was told Richards and his friend were holding 10cm folding knives when they approached the victim.

An attack took place near Coles at Corio Village. Picture: Alison Wynd

During the attack Richards punched the victim in the chin, kicked him and called him a “dog”.

The court heard Richards was on bail at the time for possessing a knife and box cutter at the 7-11 in Corio.

After his arrest, Richards told police the man owed him money, but denied he was involved in a fight or was holding a knife.

Richards’ lawyer Adrian Paull said the offending was motivated by his client’s drug use, and that his childhood was characterised by deprivation and instability, which compromised his ability to mature and learn from his mistakes.

Mr Paull said his client was drug-affected at the time of the incident and had used heroin and ice since a young age.

Crown prosecutor Erik Dober, at a hearing on Monday, said there was no evidence before the court to link Richards’ mental health issues and the offending.

Due to time served Richards could be released from jail in about 15 months.

Originally published as Mark Richards pleads guilty to attempted armed robbery in Geelong County Court