Second Upper Hutt Bank Robbed
New Zealand Police Wellington News Release
3:19pm 23 June 2008
http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release.html?id=4025

The ANZ Bank in Upper Hutt was robbed at 12.30pm today by a man who threatened that he would shoot the bank teller.

Detective Sergeant Tony Heathcote, Upper Hutt CIB, said that the robber walked into the bank and approached the teller. He gave her a note that stated "Give me cash or I'll shoot you". He was then handed a large sum of money in notes and walked out of the bank.

The teller didn't see a weapon but felt sufficiently threatened to comply with his demands.

Detective Sergeant Heathcote said the robbery is very similar to one that happened at the Upper Hutt branch of the National Bank 10 days ago. The two robberies are similar in that on both occasions a note was presented to the bank teller and the offender said very little.

"We can't rule out that these two offences are related," he said. "It could be the same offender or offenders that did both of these robberies," Detective Sergeant Heathcote said.

Police have established that today's offender was in the Upper Hutt branch of the Westpac Bank prior to ANZ robbery.

"We are appealing for witnesses that have seen him in the Main Street area either before or after the robbery. The man was last seen running down Geange Street in the direction of the Upper Hutt Railway Station."

Detective Sergeant Heathcote said the victim of today's robbery and several other bank staff was very shaken. They are being given help by bank management and from Victim Support.

The offender is described as wearing a dark blue pair of overalls with a black baseball cap and dark sunglasses over his eyes. His appearance is that of a male Maori or Polynesian aged in his 20's, quite tall in height and of athletic build with curly black hair. The man was carrying a green shopping bag which he had taken to the bank and had placed the cash into it.

ENDS

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