A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in jail for an attempted armed robbery near Wardell.

ABC North Coast has been following the case involving Alec St Clair, who was initially charged with murder over the deaths of four people in a car crash near Wardell in February 2024. Those charges were later dropped.

St Clair eventually pleaded guilty to using a weapon during a robbery.

Judge Craig Edison heard St Clair went to a caravan park at South Ballina intending to rob a man he believed was dealing drugs.

Armed with an aluminium pole, St Clair attempted to break into a car in which the intended victim and three other people were sitting.

The group drove away, with St Clair chasing the vehicle.

The vehicle later crashed into a tree, killing all four occupants.