Get-away glitch left armed robber behind
The get-away car got away – leaving one of the armed robbers behind – during a raid targeting cash and synthetic cannabis at an R-18 store in Linwood.
Ironically, the robber who had to sprint off north along Stanmore Road has never been identified.
Eighteen-year-old Isaiah Herbert today admitted being the other knife-wielding robber who went into the store at 11.22pm on May 7, about 40min before Parliament made synthetic cannabis illegal.
The man police allege was the driver of the get-away car, Marcus Raphael Hatcher, 31, has been remanded on bail to reappear in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday.
Judge David Saunders remanded Herbert, who was employed as a gib stopper, in custody for a probation report and sentencing on November 25. Home detention has been ruled out.
Defence counsel Paul Norcross said Herbert wished to meet the robbery victim at a restorative justice conference ahead of sentencing, if the victim was willing.
Crown prosecutor Kathy Bell said Herbert and another unidentified man went into the store, both holding knives about 25cm long.
Both threatened to stab the shop assistant if he did not open the till. “In fear for his life, the victim opened up the till and crouched down in the corner,” she said.
Herbert grabbed between $300 and $500 from the till and put it in his pocket, and then grabbed between 25 and 30 packets of B-52 Berry Bomb synthetic cannabis and put the packets inside a shopping bag. Each packet was worth about $30.
Herbert then left the store and was driven away in the car.
The unknown man threatened to stab the shop assistant if he did not open the safe. When the victim was unable to open the safe, the robber punched him several times.
The robber then ran out of the store and found the get-away car was gone, so he ran north on Stanmore Road. He has never been found.
Herbert was in the car when it was stopped by police on Fitzgerald Avenue soon after.
Category: Focus
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us via: