A man has confessed to stealing more than $10,000 worth of cigarettes from a Tolland service station.
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Mark Thomas Burnett, 28, fronted Wagga Local Court on Wednesday from his Silverwater cell and pleaded guilty to robbery in company.
About 3:30am on February 28, Burnett and his co-offender, whose identity is still unknown, stormed the Shell service station on Bourke Street.
Wearing a full-face plastic mask and a hooded camouflage jacket, Burnett approached the cashier, punched him in the head, and demanded access to the cash register.
Burnett was carrying a long sock with heavy items in it, while his unknown co-offender was armed with a samurai-style sword.
After the cashier handed over the cash tray, Burnett’s co-offender told him to get a rubbish bag and fill it with cigarettes.
CCTV footage of the incident then showed Burnett pacing around the store before returning to the counter and striking the cashier in the head with his weighted sock.
The two offenders then fled the scene, but Burnett was later apprehended after a DNA swab taken from the cash tray matched his profile.
Police later discovered the pair had gotten away with $1498.05 in cash as well as 456 packets of cigarettes.
The cashier suffered a laceration on his forehead which caused minor bleeding, but his injuries were only superficial.
Burnett will remain in custody until he is committed to the District Court for sentencing on October 5.
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