N.Z.’s biggest bank robbery denied

Press, 1 May 1984, Page 4

N.Z.’s biggest bank robbery denied

A man charged with taking part in the biggest bank robbery in the history of New Zealand at Lumsden, Southland, last year, said that he drove through the town on his way to Queenstown, Mr Justice Roper and a jury were told in the High Court yesterday. Alistair John Barr, aged 32, has pleaded not guilty to a charge that with another person he robbed Lewis Graeme Steele of $106,722 while armed with a revolver at Lumsden, on March 17, 1983. The trial is expected to take three weeks. Messrs G. S. Noble and R. H. Ibbotson, appear for the Crown and Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon and Mrs L. 0. Smith, for Barr. The armed hold-up at the Bank of New Zealand was carried out by two heavily disguised men carrying a sawn-off shotgun and a silver revolver. Barr is the only person who has been charged with the aggravated robbery. Security was tight around the courtroom when the trial opened and extra police were stationed in the building. Persons entering the public gallery and cases and containers they carried were searched. One man, who was denied entry to the courtroom, protested vigorously. Opening the Crown case, Mr Ibbotson said that about 11 a.m., two persons riding a motor-cycle held up the staff of the Bank of New Zealand at gunpoint and stole $106,722. It was contended by the Crown that Barr was one of the two persons, and that he was the one armed with a silver revolver, who robbed Mr Steele, the bank manager. On March 5, 1983, an HOOcc Yamaha motor-cycle belonging to lan Gregory Hobbs, was stolen from Maxwell Street, Lower Riccarton, said Mr Ibbotson when outlining events before the robbery. Barr had arranged to lease a flat at 157 Crinan Street, Invercargill, in the name of Palmer on March 4, and the robbery was committed on March 17. Both robbers were heavily disguised. They wore full-face black motor-cycle crash helmets, one with a dark visor, and masks. One man was armed with a revolver and the other with a 12-gauge sawn-off shotgun. The man with the shotgun, loaded with heavy gauge shot, entered the bank first, shouting: “This is a hold-up. Down on the floor.” He was dressed in a duffel coat, dark trousers and moccasins. This man was highly agitaged and nervous. He shouted orders at the staff and abused them with obscene language. The staff did as they were told and lay on the floor and the second person, whom the Crown alleges was Barr, entered the bank. The man wore a black motor-cycle helmet with a dark visor, a blue jacket and grey trousers. He carried a silver revolver. When he told a junior staff member to unlock the safe he was calm and selfcontrolled. After the girl said that she could not, the second man went into the manager’s office and made Mr Steele lie on the floor with his staff. While the main door to the vault was open, the inner three cupboards were locked. At gunpoint, Mr Steele was forced to unlock the top cupboard. As he was only the relieving manager, he had some difficulty with the keys and the person with the shotgun became more agitated and impatient and shouted at the staff. On opening the cupboard door, Mr Steele was again made to lie on the floor with his staff. The junior staff member was ordered to assist in stuffing the money into containers and a green security bag before being made to lie across Mr Steele at right angles. The second man left the bank first and the man with the shotgun stood over them threatening them. A motor-

cycle started up outside the bank and the robber with the shotgun then left. The offenders rode north on the motor-cycle on State highway 6 towards Queenstown and they turned off on to State highway 94 to Te Anau which started at the railroad bridge over the Oreti River. After travelling about one kilometre towards Te Anau, the men had abandoned the motor-cycle, clothing, , the shotgun, and disguises. The machine was found in scrub and swampland 400 m east of the Castlerock intersection. Scattered about the motor-cycle were a pair of gloves, clothing, a leather revolver holster and a mask. The loaded shotgun, a wig, and a crash helmet were found nearby in the swamp. Some distance away a further crash helmet was found and a black plastic visor. It was the Crown case that the crash helmet and visor were first discarded as the motor-cycle was travelling along the highway after crossing the river bridge and before the machine was abandoned. As the robbery was being committed a camera was activated and the jury would be shown photographs of a person holding a shotgun. Marks in the swamp indicated that after the motorcycle was discarded one of the offenders travelled overland, Mr Ibbotson said. Police inquiries located a person who had seen a bronze Japanese car parked on the side of the road near where the motor-cycle was abandoned on the morning of the robbery. Before that a blue Toyota Starlet car was observed in the same area. In the bush off Castlerock Road, just south of the intersection with State highway 94, a camp site was found and the remains of camp fires and bivouacs indicated that the offenders had spent a considerable time in the area. Wheel marks suggested that a motor-cycle had been hidden there before the robbery. After the robbery, the police searched premises at Blenheim Road, about three blocks from where the motor-cycle was stolen in maxwell Street. Parts from the stolen motor-cycle were found there. The police spoke to Barr in Invercargill on Saturday, March 19, 1983. He asserted that on March 17, the day of the robbery, he had left Invercargill shortly after 9 a.m. to travel to Queenstown, arriving there at 11.30 a.m. He said that his brother-in-law could verify his arrival time. Barr said that he had driven through Lumsden on his way to Queenstown but that would have been about an hour before the robbery took place. Police inquiries established that Barr had possession of a blue Toyota Starlet car from March 13 to the evening of March 16 when he obtained the bronze Datsun Bluebird in which he travelled to Queenstown the next day. Several persons would give evidence that the car seen by them on State highway 94 at the point where the stolen motor-cycle was recovered, was similar to the bronze Datsun rented by Barr on the day of the robbery. Black plastic tape was stuck to the crash helmet found on State highway 94, and also to visor located some distance away. A small piece of the same type of tape was found stuck to the thumb of one of the gloves recovered with the motor-cycle.

Scientific analysis and matching of all the pieces of tape revealed that they were originally one length of tape, Mr Ibbotson said. The visor was too large to fit the helmet properly and the tape was used to fix the visor to it. The dark visor was fitted for disguise. A fingerprint technician examined the helmet and

tape and Barr’s fingerprints were found on both, Mr Ibbotson said. During a search of Barr’s home, two gloves identical to the two pairs picked up near the stolen motor-cycle, were found in a breadbin. They were a very unusual type of glove used by bricklayers and were of foreign manufacture. They were not sold in New Zealand but were issued to workers on the construction of the third potline of the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point near Invercargill in 1982. Those gloves were kept in the office of Fred Fulton, a procurement officer, employed by the contractors. He was a close associate of Barr, who worked as a labourer on the extension project. The gloves found near the motor-cycle and the ones found in Barr’s home all had one thing in commonjthey had been worn upside down. Barr purchased a revolver holster from a second-hand dealer in Invercargill about February 14. It

was made by Brian Maw, who did leatherwork as a hobby. Mr Maw had identified the holster as one he had made and the only one he had sold to a second-hand dealer. Barr had known the dealer for some years and the dealer would say that the holster that Mr Maw sold him was the one he subsequently sold to Barr. On March 19, at Invercargill, Barr bought a 1970 Valiant car from Ross Kelly for $l5OO which was paid in cash, Mr Ibbotson said. An associate of Barr’s, William Douglas Oldham, lived in Auckland. In August, 1982, Barr gave him a silver revolver and ammunition to look after. He retrieved those articles at Christmas of that year. Oldham met Barr at Auckland Airport on the night of March 25, 18 days after the robbery, and the next day Oldham introduced Barr to Richard Graeme Morgan. At Oldham’s request, Morgan had previously sent a reddish coloured wig to him and Old-

ham had forwarded it on to Barr. Evidence would be given by Morgan that Barr was looking for someone to do a clean-up job for him in Invercargill after the robbery. Barr and Morgan returned to Christchurch that evening, hired a rental car and drove to Invercargill with an overnight stop at Timaru. They drove to a house on Dunns Road on the way to Oreti Beach, Bkm south-west of Invercargill, where Barr retrieved two ammunition tins containing about $30,000 in cash. At that time Banhad the silver revolver. They travelled back to Christchurch immediately. They stayed two nights, changed rental vehicles and drove back to Invercargill. At Barr's request, Morgan had put $12,000 in a security locker at Christchurch Airport. Barr put the balance in a money belt which he strapped to his waist. Before reaching Invercargill, Barr left the main road and, after driving along back roads, he stopped on

the outskirts of the city and then returned with another ammunition tin. Barr then drove to a house on Dunns Road and left the car with the tin and shovel, returning a short time later with only the shovel. Barr, Morgan and another person returned to Christchurch where Barr booked in at the Auto Lodge In Papanui Road. Morgan and the other person drove to Auckland after. Morgan had uplifted the $12,000 from the safety locker at Christchurch Airport The next day, Barr instructed Morgan to clean out the Crinan Street flat in Invercargill Morgan drove there with Barr’s sister. They filled four bags with the contents of the flat and shifted the motor-cycle around the corner to another section with longer grass. They returned to Christchurch and Morgan flew back to Auckland. On the morning of April 2, Barr purchased a 1978 Toyota Corona car from the New Zealand Motor Cor-

poration in Christchurch, paying $5050 in cash together with a cheque for $lOOO on Barr’s personal account The remainder of the price was subject to a hire-purchase agreement In response to an advertisement, Graham Townsend sold his Volkswagen to Barr at Christchurch on April 13, 1983, for $2600. Barr used the alias Allan James Clark to make the purchase, said Mr Ibbotson. Barr flew to Auckland in mid-April and stayed at Titirang! overnight. The next day, at Barr’s request, Morgan dismantled the silver revolver. With Barr at the wheel they drove to a spot where Morgan threw the chamber of the revolver into the sea. As they drove back the body of the gun was hidden in a bushy glade by Barr and on their return to the house at Titirangi, Barr threw the pin of the revolver into a creek. Morgan took Barr to the airport and he flew back to Christchurch, said Mr Ibbotson.