Robber got much more

Press, 8 January 1980, Page 4

Robber got much more

PA Auckland A check of the safe at the Mon Desir Hotel, Takapuna, yesterday revealed that a knife-wielding robber on Sunday evening got away with $lB,OOO, not, as was first thought, $BOO. Hotel staff made only a visual check of the safe on Sunday evening because it had still to be photographed and fingerprinted. At that stage they thought the Saturday banking was still there.

A thorough check yesterday showed that, the safe had contained $lB,OOO — $12,660

in cash, the rest in cheques. Saturday takings at the Mon Desir had been about $9OOO, the police said. The robber, a stocking over his head, slipped through a side office into the rear of the reception area, manned only by one receptionist. She screamed, and the man told her to be quiet, pulling out a 20cm kitchen carving knife, according to Detective R. A. Johnson.

The armed man upended a plastic rubbish tin and proceeded to . fill it with bags and envelopes from the safe. This took minutes, but amaz-

ingly, no-one arrived at the reception desk. A woman was speaking on the telephone at the desk, just obscured from the proceedings by a corner. “It certainly seems as if he was incredibly lucky not to be spotted. He could not have picked a better time,” said Detective Johnson. The police are seeking a white or cream late-model station-waggon which was seen on the Takapuna promenade, near the hotel, between 10 p.m. and 10.15 p.m. on Sunday.