TWO men are facing lengthy jail terms after they used a tomahawk and a knife to steal a car in Bendigo.
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Zachary Bryce Scoble, 25, and Mitchell Dale Cahill, 21, appeared in the County Court on Thursday for a further plea hearing.
Earlier this month, the two men each entered guilty pleas to one charge of armed robbery.
The court heard in the early hours of February 18 last year, Scoble, Cahill, and co-offender John Bartels met up with the victims in Marong for a drug deal.
When the two victims arrived in their white Holden utility, Bartels entered their car and told the victims to drive to the Queen Elizabeth Oval.
About two hours later, Scoble and Cahill arrived in their Ford Futura and parked a distance away. They were wearing face coverings and carrying a tomahawk and a knife as they approached the victims.
Scoble smashed the car's windscreen and windows with the tomahawk. The victims tried to drive off, but Bartels pulled the handbrake on and told them to shut up.
Scoble reached through the smashed driver's side window and took the keys out of the ignition, as he and Cahill yelled at the victims to get out of the car.
The victims exited the vehicle and pleaded for the men to stop. The court heard Bartels told them he had to take the car otherwise he would get killed.
The three offenders then left the scene in the stolen white ute. They were arrested later that day and police retrieved the stolen vehicle.
Bartels pleaded guilty to the armed robbery charge and was sentenced in the County Court last month.
He received a two-year community corrections order after serving 546 days of pre-sentence detention.
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Prosecutor Michael Keks on Thursday told the court Scoble and Cahill's offending warranted a substantial term of imprisonment.
Mr Keks said the men had evidently planned the armed robbery and went to great lengths to conceal their faces and use weapons.
The prosecutor said Scoble and Cahill had active roles in the robbery, while Bartels' offending was materially different and lesser.
Mr Keks said the judge needed to consider the protection of the community and specific deterrence.
At last month's plea hearing, there was discussion around Bartels sentence, given armed robbery usually warranted a jail term with a non-parole period rather than a corrections order.
The defence counsels submitted that Bartels did not need to face a test of exceptional circumstances to receive a non-custodial sentence, so the judge should consider their clients similarly.
Judge Mark Gamble on Thursday said he would approach the Scoble and Cahill sentences from a position of parity with Bartels' sentence.
Although the judge said he would not impose a manifestly inadequate sentence.
Judge Gamble adjourned sentencing to next week. Scoble and Cahill were remanded in custody until their next County Court date.
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