newy.com.au – Detectives have released CCTV in an appeal for information about an alleged armed robbery at a Cooks Hill hotel in 2024 that left a 68-year-old cleaner seriously injured.
Two men, aged 32 and 37, have been charged and remain before the courts. Police are now seeking information about a white Mercedes-Benz A190 hatchback and a man shown in the images who may be able to assist with inquiries.
The hatchback has damage to its rear left passenger door. The man is described as wearing a hooded jumper, baseball cap, tracksuit pants and black shoes, with a distinctive white mark or stain on the right shoe.
Police allege two men armed with a machete and a baseball bat threatened and detained the manager of a Union Street hotel about 4am on Wednesday, 28 February 2024. The 50-year-old manager was then forced to open the hotel door.
At the same time, a third man who had been waiting outside in a vehicle allegedly assaulted the cleaner. Police allege the three men left a short time later in the vehicle with cash from the hotel.
Newcastle City police attended and found the cleaner unconscious. He was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital in a serious condition. The manager was uninjured.
Local officers established a crime scene before State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad began investigating under Strike Force Krichauff. The CCTV appeal forms part of that continuing investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident, vehicle or man pictured is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information is handled confidentially, and police have asked people not to report information through NSW Police social media pages.
