Four men have been sentenced to prison over a bungled drug-rip home invasion that culminated in a shootout at Waratah West - with one man jailed for at least nine years for his leading role in the chaos.
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Matthew Moore, Terry Egan, David Jones and Matthew Primmer arrived at the Allowah Street home of drug dealer Brandon Jennings at about 10.20pm on June 13 last year, according to court documents.
They kicked down the door and Moore fired a round from a shortened shotgun - but Jennings was not alone inside.
His brother-in-law, Christopher Stokes, was armed with a gun and waiting for the group to arrive.
Stokes fired two shots - one destroyed Egan's right thumb.
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In Newcastle district court on Thursday, Judge Justin Smith, SC, sentenced Moore to 12 years in jail with a nine-year non-parole period for his part in the Waratah West home invasion, as well as armed robberies at an East Maitland bank in January, 2018, a Blackalls Park bottle shop in 2016 and an attempted hold-up at Newcastle Permanent's New Lambton branch the same day as the Allowah Street gunfight.
Judge Smith said the bungled home invasion at Waratah West was planned, but "obviously quite poorly", and he described the 40-year-old as the leader in each of the crimes.
He said Moore's upbringing had been "one of violence, instability and neglect", but there was no option other than a jail term.
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"The need for punishment and to protect the community carries significant weight in this case," Judge Smith told the court.
Egan, 25, was sentenced to seven years in jail, with a non-parole period of four years and six months for his role in the Waratah West incident and for being Moore's getaway driver in the attempted armed robbery at the New Lambton bank.
Judge Smith said he accepted that losing a thumb in the shootout was a form of extra-curial punishment - a serious loss or detriment as a result of committing an offence.
Jones was also jailed for seven years, with a non-parole period of four years and six months.
The 39-year-old was the getaway driver when Moore used a shortened shotgun to steal more than $7000 from the Maitland Mutual branch at East Maitland about six months before the Allowah Street home invasion.
The youngest of the crew, 22-year-old Primmer, was sentenced to three years in prison, with 18 months non-parole.
Judge Smith described Primmer's role in the Waratah West chaos as "minor", but said he was on three good behaviour bonds - two for serious domestic violence offences - at the time of the incident.
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