Man with butterfly tattoo admits to spree of robberies hitting seven stores

He used a calm voice, had a casual manner, and had left with $400 by the time police were alerted and arrived, sometime after 7pm on September 20, 2022.

The man behind the counter noticed he had a faded tattoo on his left hand that was "like a butterfly".

Months later, during the afternoon of Friday, July 14, 2023, he walked into a store at Adamstown, and helped himself to a packet of Maltesers, some snakes, a drink and some dog food and tried to walk out.

When he was prevented from leaving thanks to the locked automatic doors, he yelled at the man behind the register and tried to climb over the counter and force open the doors, and left.

The next day he went to another store at Wallsend Plaza and demanded cash, but he was told by the women working there to 'get the f--k out' and he did.

He then hit up a couple of bottle shops, and a take away store, and the following day, a supermarket.

He was arrested about 11am on July 18 when his carer told police he had not had his injection for bipolar for about two months.

The details were contained in an agreed statement of facts tendered when Upson pleaded guilty in Newcastle Local Court today (Wednesday, April 3) to larceny, three counts of robbery, one count of steal from a person, and one count of demanding property with menaces, with other crimes to be taken into consideration.

He will be sentenced in the Newcastle District Court on May 2.