Portland man pleads guilty to Cobden armed robbery, carjacking

Portland's Dylan Bausch, 22, held the owners at knifepoint on January 18 and robbed them of $1000 cash just moments after an aggravated carjacking.

On Friday he was sentenced to three years and eight months' jail.

He must serve a non-parole period of three years and has already spent 305 days in custody on remand.

The court heard that on the morning of the offending, Bausch smoked cannabis and methamphetamine before planning the robbery in order to fund his drug habit.

Armed with a knife, Bausch attended Camperdown IGA shortly before 3pm and jumped into the back seat of a woman's KIA Sportage while she sat in the driver's seat eating lunch.

He twice demanded she "just drive" but the victim refused and got out of the car, dropping her keys on the ground.

Bausch took the keys and drove the stolen car to the Cobden newsagency where he held the owners at knifepoint while demanding cash.

Dressed in black and wearing a balaclava, Bausch fled with $1000.

Police attempted to intercept the stolen vehicle but Bausch fled at speed and the pursuit was abandoned.

The KIA Sportage was found dumped some 45 kilometres away in Mortlake with the interior set alight.

Bausch was arrested at 6.50pm after an alert taxi driver received a job from a person who suspiciously didn't want to give his name.

Police detectives intercepted the taxi and Bausch was taken into custody.

In sentencing, Judge Pardeep Tiwana said the owners of the Cobden newsagency were angry, shaken and constantly on edge.

He said they were forced to put their business on the market due to ongoing trauma.

Judge Tiwana said the aggravated carjacking remained "firmly etched" in the victim's mind.

He said she now experienced anxiousness and was in constant fear of it happening again.

"I hope you realise the devastating and ongoing impact you've had on your innocent victims," the judge said.

He said Bausch's offending was inherently serious and a cause of concern to not only the victims but the community.

"Members of the community must be allowed to go about their business without a drug-affected and violent offender interfering with their enjoyment and leaving a lasting and negative impact," he said.

Judge Tiwana said Bausch's rehabilitation was an important factor in sentencing, given the man's age and disadvantaged background involving violence and drugs in the family home.

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