Charles Riley jailed for six months for robbing Hungry Jack's in Armidale in 2018

Charles Riley was arrested after he stole $1766.80 from a locked safe in Hungry Jack's of Armidale about 9:50pm on June 16, 2018.

Four years on, he appeared in Armidale District Court via video link last week and pleaded guilty.

Riley's six-month prison sentence was backdated to March 17, 2022, the day he was extradited under custody from Queensland to Tweed Heads Police Station in NSW.

Judge Andrew Coleman, SC, took into account Riley's admission of guilt and reduced an eight month sentence by 25 per cent.

Documents presented in evidence to the court detailed what happened on the night of the robbery.

"I've just robbed Hungry Jack's and I need to get to the highway," Riley told a small group of people after asking to borrow their phone.

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The group had been standing outside the Caltex service station on the corner of Marsh and Erskine streets about 10:15pm in Armidale on the night of the robbery.

About half-an-hour earlier, Riley had parked his black mountain bike outside Hungry Jack's on Dumaresq Street and walked inside.

Dressed casually, he walked behind the counter and said to the female staff member: "Hey you, come with me!"

The court heard he ordered her to open the tills, which were empty. One till was locked.

Riley forced the woman towards the manager's office, telling her not to touch anything and to keep her hands in her back pockets.

When they could not find the keys to the till in the manager's office, Riley became agitated until he saw the locked safe.

He told the woman to open it. She said the manager had the key.

"Get the key, get the key," he said. "Get the manager."

The manager was found in the walk-in freezer and all three walked back to the manager's office.

The manager unlocked the safe and emptied $1766.80 into Riley's hands.

When other cash storage sites on the premises were found to have no cash inside or were unable to be opened, Riley left the store and rode away on his mountain bike.

The three staff members locked the doors and called the police.

Riley discarded his bicycle in the front yard of a home on nearby Marsh Street, and it was then when he approached the group of people outside the Caltex service station.

Court documents reveal police found Riley's bicycle after viewing CCTV footage. Matched DNA swabbed from the right handlebar linked Riley to a number of offences previously committed in Queensland.

On March 27, 2019, NSW Police spoke to Riley at Woodford Correctional Centre in Queensland where he later participated in a "no comment" interview but admitted to being in Armidale in June 2018, according to court documents.

Two years later, on April 1, 2019, an arrest warrant was issued for Riley after NSW police had earlier arranged with Queensland Corrective Services to be notified of his release date.

As part of his sentencing hearing, the court heard Riley was exposed to domestic violence as a child.

The court was also told he began drinking and smoking marijuana about the age of 13-14 years, and by the age of 15 he was taking crystal meth.

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