Accused Commonwealth Hotel armed robbers allegedly planned second hold-up

John Jerrett, 37, of Mayfield, and 28-year-old Marley Tiopira, of Cameron Park, are accused of being armed with a machete and a baseball bat when they forced their way into the popular Cooks Hill pub about 4.45am on February 28.

The pair allegedly made a hotel manager move around on his knees and open safes before fleeing with $124,456.

A cleaner was allegedly assaulted during the armed robbery and suffered a medical episode. He was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition but has since made a full recovery, police have said.

Jerrett, who is alleged to have been armed with the machete during the hold-up, was arrested walking down Maitland Road at Mayfield about 11.50pm on March 6 and later charged with armed robbery and reckless grievous bodily harm in company.

But he has since been charged with the armed carjacking of a man at Newcastle in the early hours of February 24 - four days before the Commonwealth Hotel robbery - as well as conspiring to rob a second licensed premises with Tiopira in the days before he was arrested.

According to court documents, the pair conspired to target a second pub between March 4 and when Jerrett was arrested on March 6.

Jerrett did not appear in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday when his matter was mentioned and prosecutors revealed he had also now been charged with twice damaging a glass sliding door at Mayfield Centrelink in December last year and driving while disqualified and custody of a knife on the day of his arrest.

Jerrett has not entered any pleas and remains behind bars. He will next appear in court on May 29 to see whether detectives have served a brief of evidence.

Tiopira, meanwhile, was arrested in Cooks Hill a week after Jerrett and charged with armed robbery, reckless grievous bodily harm in company and conspiring to commit armed robbery in company.

He remains behind bars and will next appear in court on May 15.