Man jailed for N.Z.’s largest robbery

Press, 19 April 1989, Page 15

Man jailed for N.Z.’s largest robbery

Almost from the start things started to go wrong for a “conman turned robber” when he fled with $336,674 in cash and cheques after spraying ether into the face of a security van driver, temporarily blinding him, Mr Justice Tipping was told in the High Court yesterday. Christopher Cliff Morris, aged 35, a car salesman, was jailed for 5Vi years on a charge of aggravated robbery. He had pleaded guilty. The robbery, believed to have been the largest in New Zealand, occurred on January 20. An Armourguard security officer had just made a pick-up from the Northlands Countdown supermarket on the Main North Road when Morris used the spray can on him and then drove the van north to Vagues Road. When Morris opened the van doors and threw the money bags into the utility vehicle he had left there to make his getaway, the alarms went off. Morris panicked and made off on foot when the getaway vehicle would not start.

Mr Craig Ruane

appeared for Morris and Mr Mark Zarifeh for the Crown.

On January 20 Morris robbed a security vehicle at a supermarket, Mr Justice Tipping said. He sprayed ether in the driver’s face from an aerosol can which caused the driver to be temporarily blinded.

Morris drove the security vehicle a short distance to where he had a getaway vehicle parked but he could not get it started and 'Mr Ruane said that by that time Morris was starting to get cold feet.

Abandoning the getaway vehicle, Morris ran off leaving the money and cheques behind in the vehicle in their bags. The police summary acknowledged that the substance sprayed into the guard’s eyes caused only short-term irritation and that was emphasised by Mr Ruane. However, it was nevertheless effective for Morris’s immediate purpose. Just over two months later Morris was interviewed by the police and he frankly admitted committing the robbery. “You said that you did

not mean to hurt anyone and that has been emphasised by counsel, but he said you had done it under. financial pressure,” said his Honour.

The sum stolen from the van was $336,674 in cash and cheques but he had not been told what was in cash and what was in cheques. All the money had been recovered and there had been no ultimate loss.

“Against that, however, clearly it was your intention at the time to steal, by violent means, whatever happened to be in the security van and that was likely to be a substantial sum,” his Honour said.

Morris had a long list of convictions and he had been described by Mr Ruane as a conman. That, he was sure, was an accurate description in the light of the previous offences.

As a mature man, Morris must have been fully aware of the likely consequences of his actions. It was accepted that there was no suggestion of violence in Morris’s record.

It was not a spur of the moment affair as the get-

away car was obtained and hidden round the corner and Morris had armed himself with the can of ether. The use of a substance like that to immobilise, even if temporarily, the security guard, brought a substantial element of aggravation and seriousness to the crime. Counsel had made the point that there was not the potential for danger to the public when firearms were used in bank robberies, nor was there any serious physical damage to the security guard. Morris had promptly admitted responsibility and had pleaded guilty. He received nothing from the robbery, which Mr Ruane had said had been committed by Morris because of financial pressure.

Lots of people were under financial pressure at the moment but did not resort to this sort of conduct.

But for Morris’s plea of guilty a sentence of seven years jail would have been appropriate, but in view of that and other mitigating factors the sentence would be 5Vi years, Mr Justice Tipping said.