A Cringila man who failed to dob in two mates for holding up the Berkeley Post Office armed with a knife and a gun has pleaded guilty to a charge of concealing a serious indictable offence.
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Richard Hasiuk faced Wollongong Local Court via video link from jail on Wednesday where he entered a plea of guilty to the single charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.
Court documents reveal Hasiuk's mates, Trevor Leal and Michael Black, arrived at the post office in a grey Audi A7 sedan on the afternoon of February 25.
With the vehicle still idling, the pair jumped out and 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, stealing about $1,000 before fleeing outside.
Leal and Black 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 Hasiuk remained inside the house until eventually surrendering to tactical police without incident just after 10.30pm.
The fact sheets said Hasiuk knew Leal and Black had carried out the armed robbery but "did not bring it to the attention of law enforcement".
The court heard both Leal and Black's DNA was found on the inside of the Audi along with several items retrieved from inside the car.
Leal pleaded guilty in July to a charge of robbery armed with a dangerous weapon and will face sentencing on October 9, while Hasiuk remains behind bars and is expected to be sentenced at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Black was on remand in Parklea prison in April when he was killed in a jailhouse stabbing while waiting to appear in Wollongong court via video link.
Three men have been charged over the fatal attack and are currently before the courts.
