Robbery admitted after seven-hour interview

Press, 11 December 1976, Page 2

Robbery admitted after seven-hour interview

After being interviewed for nearly seven hours at the Central Police Station, Anthony Arnold Hawkins i burst, into tears and admitted that he had been one of [the two persons who robbed the Barrington Mail Superlvalue supermarket on November 3, the Magistrate's Court heard yesteriday. Hawkins, aged 26, apjpeared before Mr C. A. Pilgrim and Mr M. G. Smith,! [Justices of the Peace, for the! taking of depositions. He and Anthony Wayne Harris,l aged 29, who has pleaded, guilty, are jointly charged with robbing two men ofi nearly $12,000 in money and! cheques. Evidence was given on ’Thursday, the first day of (the hearing, by the owner, [and 'manager of the super-: [market, who described how; [they had been tied up, gag-i ged. and forced to hand over money. I [ Detective G, F, Stebbings' said in evidence yesterday that on November 5 he spoke to Hawkins ajgj* other matters for a time, and then told him that! he was interested in dis-: cussing the armed robbery[i of a supermarket a few day’s] previously. i,

I Hawkins said that he had Iheard about the robbery, and was a bit concerned because the car which had been seen by the police was similar in description to his own. He strongly denied knowing anything about the robbery. After further questioning, Hawkins said that he might be able to identify one of I the robbers. He said he believed that one of his friends, called Tony Harris, could have: been responsible because the. : morning after the robbery,! Harris had shown him an' article in “The Press" about\ it and said he had been responsible. Hawkins said he thought: his car might have been : used in the robbery. Detec-i tive Stebbings said he then i cautioned the accused. :Hawkins then made a writ-i ten statement in which he' outlined his da/s activities on November 3, and said that when the robbery took ; place, he was at a hotel with friends. He said in the statement .that Harris did the robbery.;' ►fhe money might have been I, hidden at a rubbish tip. The' accused then continued to; deny any knowledge of theii robbery. Later in the day, asl a result of what Detective

i Sergeant M. A. Fink told I him, Detective Stebbings e told Hawkins that his i fingerprint had been found i on a piece of masking tape ? used in the robbery. >i At this he burst into! .Hears, and admitted that he , was the other person who t committed the robbery with! f Harris, said Detective Stebbings. The accused was then cauI tioned again, and another ■statement was taken in j[ which Hawkins admitted his ,ipart in the offence. He said! J that he had ‘‘cold ’feet” - at one stage, but • Harris had told him he knew (“too much to back out now.” Hawkins said that it was all Harris’s idea, and he had just gone along with it. Detective Stebbings said ’that the whole interview’ [took from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.l During this time the defend-! ant was given a meal. The! second statement was taken;' at 10 p.m. Detective Senior-Sergeant; R. A. Meikle said in evi-l' dence that on November 6 1 .he and Detective Ser-’t [geant Fink accompanied!; Harris in a police car to , [Wilmers Road. They were’, ’directed by Harris. I' i Harris led them to a row’ 1 ■of pine trees, and removed aif

Edead tree-top from beside 5 the fourth tree. He scratched s a hole in the soil, and then I removed two bags and a wrapped in a blue (Christchurch City Council >[ rubbish bag. The bags were “opened,at the police station, i ;and were found to contain i[just over $6OO. The parcel (contained a cut down .22 calibre firearm, one loose round of ammunition, and a separate, fully loaded magazine. Soon after this Harris Took them to a spot near the Paparua County Council’s rubbish tip. He rolled aside a log. and then dug a hole with a shovel. From the hole he took another blue Christchurch City Council rubbish bag, which was found to contain $4064.20c. j At the end of the prose-1 |cution evidence counsel fori I Hawkins (Mr D. C. Fitz-I [gibbon) said that he had no I 'submissions to make. ( The accused then entered I a plea of not guilty, and was I [committed to the Supreme I [Court for trial. No appli-1 cation for bail was made by [I Mr Fitzgibbon, and Hawkins, I was remanded in custody. I Harris was previously re- I manded in custody to the I Supreme Court for sentence. I