Man, woman charged over ‘freak incident’ Paddington boutique armed robbery

Police will allege a woman had provided officers with misleading information at the crime scene of a Paddington armed robbery on Monday that led to a 52-year-old man’s getaway. Both have been charged overnight and will appear in court today.

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Two people have been charged after an alleged brazen armed robbery at a Paddington Boutique on Monday.

David Mellis, 52, and Kim Marie Apter, 48, will face the Central Local Court after detectives charged the duo with a raft of offences overnight.

Police will allege Apter assisted with Mellis’ getaway after the incident at Status Anxiety on Oxford St by providing misleading information at the crime scene.

The incident, which unfolded in broad daylight, left a young shop assistant shaken, with police accusing Mellis of threatening the woman with a gun before fleeing with a sum of cash and goods.

The crime scene at Status Anxiety on Oxford Street in Paddington on Monday night. Picture: Damian Shaw

Officers from the Kings Cross Police Area Command spotted the couple walking through Darlinghurst yesterday before placing them under arrest.

Mellis has been charged with robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon, possessing unauthorised prohibited firearm, receive/dispose of stolen property and a breach of bail.

Apter was charged with armed robbery as an accessory after the fact, wilfully obstructing an officer in the execution of duty, receive/dispose of stolen property, and an outstanding warrant.

Both have been refused bail to appear in court today.

Business owners on Paddington’s Oxford St yesterday spoke of not wanting the gunpoint robbery of the boutique fashion store to scare off customers.

Retailers on the popular street filled with boutique outlets are trading as normal and questioned why someone would target the affluent strip in Sydney’s east.

Detectives examining the crime scene. Picture: Damian Shaw

A spokeswoman for Status Anxiety said the staff member was currently receiving support and did not want the “freak incident” to deter people from shopping in Paddington.

Another nearby shop owner on Oxford St, who was working as the robbery unfolded, believed the incident was not a targeted attack.

“This never happens in Paddington,” Anthea Leonard said.

“I’ve been here 40 years. It seems like an act of desperation more than anything.

“We are not an easy target here.”