A 23-year-old man has admitted his involvement in the armed robbery of the Berkeley Post Office alongside slain Wollongong felon Michael Black.
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Trevor Leal joined Black and another man in holding up the business while armed with a replica gun and a knife on the afternoon of February 25 this year, making off with $1,000 in cash.
Black, who was wanted on a revocation of parole warrant at the time, was arrested at Leal's house later that night and remanded in custody.
He was stabbed to death inside Parklea prison two months later while waiting to appear in court on video link.
Documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court this week reveal Leal had met Black just twice before he agreed to help carry out the robbery, after running into him by chance that day.
The third man drove the pair to the post office in a grey Audi A7 sedan, arriving just after 3pm. He remained in the idling car while Black and Leal, dressed in dark clothing and with their faces covered with balaclavas, entered the store carrying the gun and the knife.
The manager saw the knife and immediately hit the store's panic button, alerting Wollongong Security, who contacted police.
Meanwhile, the knife holder jumped the counter and waved the weapon at the victim, yelling "where is the money, where is the money?"
The victim pointed to the cash drawer and said "there".
Moments later he was able to lock himself inside the back room of the post office. He said he watched through the door's window as Black and Leal raided the drawer before fleeing outside.
The trio returned to Leal's house in Warwick Street, parking the Audi at the rear of the property.
Police arrived at the home three hours later and Leal was arrested within 30 minutes.
However, Black and the third man remained inside the house until eventually surrendering to tactical police without incident just after 10.30pm.
Officers then searched the house, discovering a black pistol with an M9 magazine stowed behind a painting in the hallway.
They also found knives, a homemade sword, cash and black clothing.
A subsequent examination of Leal's mobile phone revealed he sent a text message to a friend at 2.09pm saying "we are going to pump a job", then a message to his girlfriend at 2.24pm with the words "pop the pistol go", accompanied by a picture of him holding a gun.
At 2.41pm he sent a third message to his partner telling her "keep the gates open n driveway clear".
Meanwhile, the trio's fingerprints were found throughout the car.
Leal agreed to be interviewed by police after his arrest. He initially denied any involvement in the robbery, claiming he'd been at home when Black and the other man had arrived at his house in the Audi, but later admitted to the crime.
He told it was Black's idea to "go there and do this".
Leal pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery armed with a dangerous weapon in court this week.
He remains in custody and will next appear in court on August 28 for a sentencing date to be fixed.