Disguised, axe wielding robber shows no remorse for ‘frightening’ crime

There is little hope for reform for a remorseless 24-year-old Mowbray man who left a hotel worker bloodied and scarred in a ‘frightening’ aggravated armed robbery.

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PROSPECTS for the reform of a 24-year-old Mowbray burglar Michael Samuel Charlesworth have been deemed poor after he was found guilty of a “frightening” aggravated armed robbery by a jury in the Supreme Court in Launceston last week.

Charlesworth was sentenced over the axe-wielding robbery of the Mowbray Hotel in May 2018.

He and another man entered the hotel wearing dark hooded jumpers with cloth covering their nose and mouths about 8.40pm on Wednesday, May 9.

He was carrying a small axe while his co-offender carried a “long, machete-like knife”.

They had just been to rob a different hotel at Rocherlea intending to rob the bottle shop, but it was closed when they arrived.

Supreme Court Justice Robert Pearce said Charlesworth “vaulted the bar” and confronted the female attendant Rebecca Mundy while brandishing the axe.

“You demanded that she give you cash,” Justice Pearce said.

“Your co-offender entered the same area by a different route and on the way, struck the male hotel employee, Ross Freeman, to the head with the knife he was waving around.”

Ms Mundy removed the till containing about $1700 and the offenders left with it.

CCTV captured the incident showed the small number of customers in the hotel at the time trying to get out while the robbery was unfolding.

Mowbray Hotel

Justice Pearce said Mr Freeman was left with a wound to his head after being struck with the knife, which “bled profusely” and required numerous stitches and staples.

“It was painful, slow to heal and left a scar.

“Although that was done by your co-offender, you are equally responsible”.

Justice Pearce said the psychological impact of the “frightening ordeal” on the victims was profound.

“Their respective victim impact statements describe the type of continuing serious psychological impact to their personal and working lives which are the entirely predictable result of crimes like this.”

Charlesworth was 21 at the time of the robbery and has spent most of his adult life in prison.

Justice Pearce said it was likely Charlesworth had become institutionalised and showed no indication of remorse of the robbery.

“The pity of all of this is that for many years the comments of sentencing judges have included remarks that despite the disadvantage you suffered in your early life, you are intelligent, well-spoken, well-read and capable of better,” Justice Pearce said.

“You are still only 24 and it is possible that with maturity you will mend your ways.

“I will allow for parole in the hope that things might change.”

Charlesworth was sentenced to five years imprisonment from October last year and fined $1734.20.

He will be eligible for parole after serving half of that sentence.