A Melbourne man who spent 22 years in prison before being acquitted of murdering two police officers has been sentenced to time served for a series of armed robberies, closing a lengthy legal battle. Jason Roberts, 42, was found not guilty in the Supreme Court of Victoria of the 1998 killings of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller at Moorabbin.
Roberts was initially convicted of the double murder in 2002 alongside Bandai Debs, his then-girlfriend's father, but a retrial was granted after new evidence emerged about improper police practices. During the retrial, Roberts pleaded guilty to 10 armed robberies committed with Debs but maintained he was not involved in the police slayings.
On Friday, Justice Stephen Kaye sentenced Roberts to six years and six months in prison for the robberies but deemed the sentence served, meaning no further jail time. The judge detailed the robberies, describing Debs as a 'hardened and violent criminal' and noting that the pair targeted small businesses, forcing victims at gunpoint to lie face down with their hands and feet bound.
In one incident at the Green Papaya restaurant in Surrey Hills in July 1998, Roberts forced staff to lie on the dance floor, and Debs told them, 'Tell the police Lucifer was here.' The court heard Roberts' mental health has deteriorated since his release from Barwon prison's high-security unit, and he struggles with socializing, rarely leaving home except with a close family member.
Justice Kaye accepted that Roberts is genuinely remorseful and a 'very different person' from the one who committed the crimes. Since his release, Roberts has been restoring a car and living on welfare. He has not indicated whether he will sue Victoria Police over the handling of his case.
