Alexander Robert MacDonald faces Cairns court over bank heists
A “psychopathic” killer who once murdered a man who looked like him to steal his identity will soon be sentenced for a string of terrifying robberies across Queensland.
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A “psychopathic” killer who murdered a man solely to steal his identity will be sentenced in Cairns for bank robberies across Queensland, including in Port Douglas, next week.
Alexander Robert MacDonald, 73, was convicted in Perth in 1998 of murdering Ron Williams, after choosing the man because he was the same age, they looked similar, and he sought a new identity to escape warrants and launder money from bank robberies.
The fact he had never faced court over bank robberies where he routinely took tellers hostage came to light during parole eligibility proceedings for his murder sentence.
The Cairns court heard in 1997, MacDonald had advertised for a non-existent mining job, and interviewed dozens of “applicants” before selecting lookalike Williams.
He then took the man for a car ride from Melbourne to Perth to the non-existent role before shooting him twice in the head while fishing, burying him at a remote beach in Albany, Western Australia.
He already had many key identity documents and had bank accounts, health insurance and a Myer card in Williams’ name.
MacDonald faced Cairns District Court on five deprivation of liberty charges and four armed robbery with violence charges, with the crimes spanning from late 1995 to 1997.
He pleaded guilty.
MacDonald sat in his walker on videolink from Lotus Glen Correctional Centre as the court heard how the Vietnam veteran had escaped from Borallon Correctional Centre near Ipswich in September 1995 – spending weeks in bushland before turning up at Cooroy a month later.
There he robbed the bank and again evaded police.
The court then heard how he took bank staff as hostages when he robbed Westpac at Airlie Beach, Commonwealth Bank at Yepoon and the Commonwealth Bank at Port Douglas.
The court was told before his Port Douglas robbery, he camped in the town — lying low after featuring in an Australia’s Most Wanted segment on TV.
He spent weeks watching the bank.
On the morning of May 31, 1997 MacDonald made his move - armed with a sawn off shotgun, he took a bank employee hostage, passed a note and an empty bank envelope to other bank staff demanding that they go into the safe and retrieve a large amount of money or he would kill the hostage.
The court heard he took the man to a river, where he was forced to take a fisherman hostage before fleeing under the false belief police cars were there to catch him - they were there because there was an international VIP in Port Douglas.
On July 26, 1997 he allegedly robbed Airlie Beach Westpac a second time — fleeing on motorbike into the bush.
The court heard he was noted for his ability to survive for weeks at a time solo in bushland because of his military training.
Prosecutor Callum Wallis told the court MacDonald “showed signs of callous disregard for his offending” and “showed psychopathic traits”.
A self-represented MacDonald addressed Judge Tracy Fantin with a calm self-assurance, citing High Court cases.
Judge Fantin said she wanted to take time to consider the material and adjourned the sentencing until July 23.
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