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Robert Le Brazier
.
Bank robbery in Palmertson North in November 2005
Also had 269 previous convictions - 200 involved dishonesty and 14 involving violence
.
Half brother of Steven Williams
and Anamari Stone
none known
Born 1968
Prison
Sentenced to five years in April 2006
Eligible for parole December 2007
Statutory Release Date April 2011
Background
NZ Herald story here
From Manawatu Standard story April 2006
Twenty-one pages were required to list the previous convictions of Robert Le Brazier, 38, who admitted robbing the Westpac Bank in Palmerston North last year. Le Brazier, who was appearing in Palmerston North District Court yesterday for sentencing on 23 new charges, was jailed for a total of five years. As he was being ushered from the dock, he asked if he could address the court. "I am very sorry for the problems I have caused," he told Judge Alistair Garland. "I was expecting a lot longer sentence. Thank you. I will do my very best." "Good luck, Mr Le Brazier," replied the judge. "Thank you," said the defendant, who had conducted himself in a mannerly fashion throughout the hearing, despite several times interrupting to help the court untangle the mesh of charges. Prosecutor Paul Murray said he had been able to list some 269 previous convictions for Le Brazier.
At least 200 of the offences involved dishonesty and 14 involved violence. The charges on which he was sentenced yesterday included his 11th charge for driving with excess breath alcohol, fourth for driving while disqualified and a string of dishonesty charges, most of them involving misuse of credit cards and theft of alcohol. There was also a charge of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and one of giving false details to police. Judge Garland noted that the robbery of the Westpac Bank on November 16 last year had occurred while Le Brazier was on parole. The note he took into the Westpac Bank contained words to the effect of "Hand me your money. I have a gun. Don't f–- with me." While the teller had responded as she had been trained to do, shock had set in later to the point where she became ill with stress and she would probably continue to suffer from the experience for some time. Defence counsel Fergus Steedman said the defendant and an elderly friend had been drinking wine and bourbon the night before the bank robbery.
The next morning, his friend had called a taxi to take them to the Princess Tavern. En route, Le Brazier, who was intoxicated, asked the driver to stop at the Westpac Bank. He picked up a piece of paper and wrote a note on it, which he gave to the teller. She handed over the money ($1175) and he walked back to the taxi. Most of the money was spent on buying drinks for others and on taxi fares, including one to Marton, the judge said. "Bulls," Le Brazier corrected him. Of the total stolen, $255 was recovered. At the time of the offence, Le Brazier was in bad shape and believed he had a terminal illness. He was also suffering from severe psoriasis (a skin disease) and hepatitis C. Le Brazier's childhood had been awful, Mr Steedman said. He was admitted to hospital only four months after being born, suffering from malnutrition. He was placed in a good foster home, but was drinking by the age of nine and drinking to excess at 13.
As a young adult, he suffered from depression and became even more involved in drink and drugs. His birth mother had fought her own battle with drugs and of Le Brazier's seven siblings, five are in jail - one for murder and one for manslaughter. Steven Williams, the man convicted of murdering his stepdaughter Coral-Ellen Burrows in Featherston in September 2003, and Anamari Margaret Stone, found guilty of the manslaughter of her lover, Daniel Poata, in July last year, are Le Brazier's half brother and sister. Medical and psychiatric examinations of Le Brazier have shown he did not have a terminal illness as he claimed and was not mentally ill. Instead, his problem was alcohol. Since being held in custody, Le Brazier has lost 15kg and is in a better physical, mental and spiritual state than he has been for some time, he lawyer said. Mr Steedman said Le Brazier had even expressed interest in visiting schools to speak on the perils of drink and drugs.
