Jail term for T.A.B. robbery

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 4

Jail term for T.A.B. robbery

Two offenders treated themselves to a taste of high life, after robbing the Shirley T.A.B. of 514,008 at gunpoint, staying at first class hotels in Christchurch and Auckland and just before being arrested in the Bay of Islands they had paid 51500 for the charter of a luxury yacht, Mr Justice Cook was told in the High Court yesterday. Mark Cyril Woodall, aged 23, unemployed was jailed for four years on charges of aggravated robbery, two of burglary at Temuka of obtaining credit by fraud at Auckland and escaping from custody. Woodall pleaded guilty to the charges in District Court. The police statement said that in early April Woodall and a co-offender broke into the Temuka Sports Centre through a skylight and stole two .22 rifles, 350 rounds of ammunition and sports

goods of a total value of 5792. On the same week-end they broke into Temuka Dairy Co-operative Co, Ltd., forced open the door of the security room and stole 5715. About 8.15 a.m. on April 5, Patrick Ryan Simpson, the manager of the Shirley T.A.8., arrived at work. When he entered the front door he was confronted by a masked man with a rifle who motioned to him to go to the rear of the premises. Another masked man with a rifle came out from behind the door of the staffroom where he had been hiding. The first man did all the talking and told Mr Simpson he would not be hurt and that they just wanted money. Mr Simpson was forced to open the safe and the offenders removed the $14,008

it contained. He was warned not to raise the alarm. The offenders tied Mr Simpson up with a power cord cut from a television set and a roll of insulation tape. He was left lying on the floor of the staffroom with his feet tied to a cupboard door handle and a tablecloth over his head. Before leaving by the backdoor, the men ordered Mr Simpson not to move for five mintues and the bolt of a rifle was worked to emphasise the threat. A short time later Mr Simpson freed himself and raised the alarm. An investigation showed that the two offenders had got into the T.A.B. through the skylight and lain in wait for Mr Simpson. There was a large scale police search to locate the offenders. On the morning of April 6, a jogger on the beach

near the Waimairi Surf Club saw two rifles and a green fishing vest in the surf. Other people found a riflecleaning kit and ammunition. The property had been stolen from Temuka. On April 18, Woodall and his co-offender were found at Keri Keri in the Bay of Islands. They were un-co-operative and the co-of-fender gave false information. They refused to discuss the armed robbery or the two Temuka burglaries. Woodall refused to assist in recovering the stolen money. The co-offender had $2BOO, but Woodall had only a small amount of cash. However, $3OOO was recovered from a female associate who had admitted receiving the money when it had been stolen. She had been given a two year suspended sentence.

The sum of $8163 had not been recovered from the T.A.B. robbery. The two men had spent large sums of money in first class hotels in Christchurch and Auckland. The $715 taken at Temuka had also not been recovered. The co-offender had been remanded in custody but he had escaped and had not been located. Woodall and an associate booked in to the Sheraton Hotel in Auckland on April 10 under a false name. They drank all the bottles of spirit in the room which was left in such a filthy condition that they were asked to pay the account and leave. They left without paying the account. While on remand at Addington Prison, Woodall escaped from the exercise yard by climbing over a roof. Next day he gave

himself up to the police, the police statement said.

Mr Justice Cook said that he was satisfied that the burglaries and armed robbery were carried out as a planned operation, the Temuka offence being committed to obtain firearms and money. A substantial sum had been stolen from the T.A.B.

In the probation report, Woodall was described as an intelligent young man who, until recent offending, had maintained a good record. The probation officer found some contradiction in an apparently reliable, sophisticated young man becoming involved in this sort of offending, his Honour said.

Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon appeared for Woodall and Mr A. M. Mclntosh for the Crown.