A man has pleaded guilty to his involvement in an early morning raid at a Hunter grocery store, during which a shop owner was stabbed in the stomach.
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It was one of Murrinjii Griffiths' associates who allegedly left the two centimetre knife wound in the 42-year-old business owner's belly, but an agreed statement of facts tendered to Newcastle Local Court say Griffiths' DNA was also found on the weapon.
The now 19-year-old pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count each of robbery armed with an offensive weapon causing wounding and knowingly being carried in a stolen vehicle.
According to the statement of facts, Griffiths and the two associates stole a Subaru Liberty and drove to the Spar Express grocery store on Morpeth's main drag on January 19, 2022.
Wearing face coverings and gloves - and one of Griffiths' associates was carrying a knife - the trio entered the shop just after 5am and confronted the business owner who was behind the counter.
They demanded money and the man with the knife allegedly punched the business owner twice in the face as Griffiths and the third bandit pulled open two cash register drawers.
When the business owner told the trio there was no more money, the man with the knife allegedly stabbed him.
The thieves fled the scene in the Subaru with two cash register drawers - containing about $600.
The business owner had surgery at John Hunter Hospital and has since recovered from the stab wound near his belly button.
Police found the abandoned Subaru on January 21. A trace DNA sample taken from a knife found in the vehicle returned a match for Griffiths.
Detectives from police Strike Force Conge, which was set up to investigate a series of hold-ups in the Hunter, arrested Griffiths at Largs on February 4 last year.
Griffiths was originally charged with nine counts, but the court heard on Wednesday that seven of those had been withdrawn.
He remains in custody and will be sentenced in Newcastle District Court.
Magistrate Caleb Franklin adjourned the matter to March 2.
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