Showing no emotion, a father and son stood next to each other in court as they were jailed for four years on Friday over a daring, professional burglary which netted nearly $1 million in cash, gold and jewellery.

Phillip See, 34, an unemployed former law student who once worked for the Crown Solicitor's office in Sydney, was the mastermind behind the Melbourne burglary, while his father, Christopher, 58, worked as a claims officer for Centrelink and went along with his son's plan because he needed the money.

Now behind bars ... Christopher See outside court last year. Credit:Joe Armao

Victorian County Court judge Carolyn Douglas jailed both men for a total of four years after accepting Phillip See had had a dysfunctional upbringing in Sydney and had been suffering from chronic schizophrenia when he spent more than a year planning the raid on the Kennard's storage facility warehouse in Ivanhoe.

Judge Douglas said the burglary had been well-planned and carefully carried out with skill.