No further jail time for robber

A SERIAL robber who held three people at gunpoint in a Labrador liquor store, had previously served time over violent robberies just south of the border, a court has heard.

Matthew Pirani, who has already served six years in jail, wiped his eyes in Southport District Court yesterday when Judge Catherine Muir said he would be released.

Judge Muir yesterday sentenced him to three years prison after guilty pleas to multiple robberies, fraud and an unlawful possession of a weapon. That included the 2013 Labrador hold-up.

But because he had already served six years for robberies in NSW, including two in Lismore, and for pre-sentence custody on Queensland charges he went free yesterday.

Crown prosecutor Matt Hynes said Pirani was dressed in a black hoodie and pants when he targeted Liquorland Labrador about 7.30pm on January 13, 2013.

Pirani pointed a rifle at two female staff members and a man who came inside after noticing the commotion, before fleeing with $370. He robbed a Toowoomba store on January 6, 2013 in a brazen daylight attack while armed with a 20cm long screwdriver.

The court heard Pirani told an employee: “I’m not trying to hurt you because I know what it’s like to be hurt.”

He took off with $175. Defence barrister Nick McGhee said Pirani was no longer a drug addict.

Judge Muir said it was lucky no victims were hurt or “dead”.

“You were so out of it, quite frankly anything could have happened,” Judge Muir said.