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Offender Databases Todd Scott

Todd James Scott

Alias

Karl Bennett
Peter Leaitua
Alastair Russell

Offences

Involved in three gunpoint robberies in the Opotiki area in May 1997
A total of six counts of aggravated robbery and seven counts of kidnapping

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

Wayne Matchitt
Storm James

Gang affiliations

Filthy Few

Age

Born 1962

Current Location

unknown

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 10 years 6 months with a 7 year non-parole period in December 2002
Unsuccessfully appealed this sentence in July 2003
To be updated....

Background
NZ Herald story here
Court of Appeal decision here (PDF)
From the Dominion Post 15/07/2003
An armed robber who went bush for two years and lived in a walk-in safe on a Wellington demolition site for a year has appealed against his 10 1/2-year jail term. Todd James Scott, now 41, took part in three robberies of cannabis growers in the Opotiki area in May 1997. One of Scott's co-offenders shot one of the victims in the foot, resulting in permanent disability. Scott was not present when the man was shot. After the robberies, Scott went on the run for five years and was caught in Wellington last year.

The ringleader was caught soon after the robberies and jailed for 15 years. Another man, who took part in two robberies, was jailed for eight years. However, they were sentenced under a parole regime that meant they had to serve two-thirds of their sentence. Under new rules, inmates can ask for parole after serving one-third, but in Scott's case the sentencing judge thought that would give Scott an advantage for having been on the run so long, so ordered Scott to also serve two-thirds of his sentence. In the Court of Appeal yesterday, defence lawyer Greg King said the judge should have set the overall term and let the Parole Board decide how much of the sentence Scott should serve.

He said Scott's time on the run had postponed the inevitable and he had not spent the five years "living it up in Las Vegas". Scott spent two years living in the bush and another year living in a walk-in safe on a demolition site in Wellington. The Crown's lawyer, Brendan Horsley, argued that the minimum non- parole period of two-thirds should stay. Possible parole after one-third would not reflect the seriousness of Scott taking part in three armed robberies over two days. He said the victims were seriously traumatised and it was good for their security to know Scott was behind bars for the longer period.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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