Man sentenced over armed robbery at Warrnambool service station

Sam Keegan, 29, of King Street, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool County Court in June to armed robbery.

On Tuesday he was jailed for two years with a non-parole period of 12 months.

He has already served 236 days in custody on remand and will be eligible for parole in about four months.

Keegan attended the BP service station on Warrnambool's Raglan Parade shortly after midnight on December 9 last year.

When a lone female employee approached the front counter, Keegan rushed towards her brandishing a 24-centimetre kitchen knife.

He was wearing a green hooded jumper over his head and a zombie costume mask on his face.

Keegan said if the victim gave her "all the cash" nothing would happen.

The employee handed over $190 cash and the man left the store.

On Tuesday Judge Anne Hassan said the victim was a "soft target" due to working alone and at night.

She said the woman hadn't made a victim impact statement but it was no doubt a terrifying experience to be robbed at knife-point.

Judge Hassan said she accepted defence submissions the offending was unsophisticated, of a short duration and the victim was not injured.

But she said there were aggravating features, including Keegan having a relevant criminal history and being on two community correction orders at the time of the offending.

The judge said she accepted Keegan's remorse despite his initial denial to police.

During the plea hearing, the offender told the court he was "truly, truly sorry", that there wasn't a day he didn't think about the offending and he was willing to accept the consequences.

Judge Hassan said she accepted that statement was a sincere expression of his remorse and that he wanted to write a letter of apology to the victim but he was illiterate.

The court heard Keegan suffered mental health issues following acute emotional trauma, as well as autism and ADHD.

The judge said notwithstanding the man's mental health, a message must be sent by the sentence imposed that armed robberies on "soft targets" were viewed seriously by the courts and appropriately punished.

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