Hostage recounts terrifying ordeal with armed robber Alexander Macdonald

A man who was taken hostage at gunpoint in a regional New South Wales bank in 1997 has spoken about the moment he came face-to-face with his captor, Alexander Robert Macdonald, in court.

Brett Charlsley, now 65, was in the Port Macquarie District Court today, watching Macdonald receive his sentence for the 1996 and 1997 armed robberies. Mr Charlsley said he immediately recognised Macdonald when he walked into the courtroom.

"I knew that voice [from] when he told me to walk in front of him," Mr Charlsley said.

Macdonald pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon and two charges of detain for advantage without causing injury to the victim. The court heard he stole a total of $96,000 from two banks at Coonabarabran and Laurieton.

During the Laurieton branch robbery, Mr Charlsley was taken hostage but was released when the offender reached his getaway car. Mr Charlsley recalled the ordeal and its aftermath.

"The next day I was dwelling on it; I was thinking, what if he had of shot me?"

The court heard Macdonald, a career criminal, began his life of crime in the late 1970s and had committed numerous offences. Judge Michael King told the court Macdonald was motivated by his desire to continue his criminal lifestyle.

"There are so many [offences] that I have not bothered to count," Judge King said.

Macdonald's crimes included killing a man in Western Australia to assume his identity and escaping from prison in Queensland. He remained one of Australia's most wanted for two years until his arrest in Victoria in June 1997.

In 1998, Macdonald was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum 25-year non-parole period for wilful murder, deprivation of liberty, and armed robbery. He was extradited to New South Wales this year to face additional armed robbery charges.

Today, Judge King sentenced Macdonald to a further eight years in jail, with a non-parole period of five years. Mr Charlsley said the sentencing had provided some closure.

"I think looking at him, at how frail he was and the illnesses he has, it's an appropriate sentence," he said.

Macdonald, who represented himself in court, reflected on the robberies and their impact on victims.

"I do appreciate being confronted by a robber with a sawn-off shotgun has a significant impact to the victims,"

Macdonald will be eligible for parole in 2034.