Criminal bragged about guns, robberies, car jackings and being on YouTube
HE was suspected of being part of a criminal gang responsible for a brazen robbery of an Armaguard van. Problem was the police didn’t have the proof they needed — until they put him in a cell with two undercover cops. READ THE TRANSCRIPTS
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IT was a brazen play by the police that helped land a member of one of Sydney’s most dangerous crime families in jail for more than a decade, all thanks to his big mouth.
Inside a cell at Merrylands Police Station, the criminal who can’t legally be named is big-noting himself to the other two men inside the cage about his latest criminal exploits, according to court documents that detailed the exchange.
He’s in the cell because he has come to the station as part of his daily bail reporting conditions for an armed robbery charge.
But the police have told him their computer systems are down and that he will have to wait in the cell with two other inmates until they fix the technology glitch.
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To pass the time, the criminal regales his new friends with a few war stories: how he stole sports cars from two wealthy owners at gunpoint, how he has an armoury of guns hidden in his home, what are his favourite getaway cars, and which ones “can do 100 kms around a corner no problem”.
At one point the man reveals he was involved in one of Sydney’s most notorious armed robberies and boasts “I was on YouTube”, referring to the footage of a 2013 armed holdup that was uploaded to the social media site.
The criminal is completely unaware the two men were undercover cops who have been planted to target him, the court documents said.
The robbery he was referring to was that of an Armaguard truck outside Broadway Shopping Centre on March 4, 2013.
The robbery unfolded about 8.15am and was filmed by shocked onlookers who watched as balaclava clad men armed with guns, including an assault rifle, unsuccessfully attempted to rob the truck before escaping in a stolen Audi.
F**k, I’ve got a heap. Like Glocks, revolvers, SKS and things like that.
The criminal was charged over the robbery on March 10, 2013, but was released on bail, meaning the cops needed more evidence to keep him locked up and eventually secure a conviction.
Part of that came with the sneaky police play that unfolded at Merrylands Police Station on July 16, 2013.
Only minutes after being put in the cell, the criminal started off by telling the men, known as Aaron and Danny, he had an armoury of weapons at his home, court documents said.
“F**k, I’ve got a heap,” he said.
“Like Glocks, revolvers, SKS and things like that.”
When one of the men asked if it was a “real SKS or Chinese?”, he responded: “Real man. I’ve got three of them.”
It wasn’t long before he admitted to carjacking a Mercedes C63 at gunpoint from its owner in Vaucluse but said he didn’t have to hurt the man.
“Just placed a gun … put, like, a gun to their head and tell ‘em to give me the keys,” the criminal said. “(I waited) till they come home. As he was going up the driveway I jumped out.”
He also told the men he had arranged for a woman to store the C63 in her garage and mentioned its location before revealing he had used I during a robbery of a city pub “allegedly before I done the Broadway thing”.
When asked how much he stole, the crim replied “Two hundred (thousand)”.
“You know why I am spewing but, hopefully nothing happens,” he says.
“I like I have been out for one month. I will never do them again you know. I am making plenty through that.”
Eventually, he admitted to stealing the Audi RS6 that was used in the Broadway robbery from a $4 million home in McMahons Point where the owners were woken up in the middle of the night by armed men demanding the keys.
“(We) couldn’t find the (keys) so we woke them up,” he said before revealing he got to drive the car.
“They’re f**king rockets man … on bends. Like you’ll won’t believe how quick you take a corner.”
But then came the slam dunk: the criminal admitted to the robbery and spoke of his frustrations that the guards would not open the truck, meaning they left empty-handed.
“Stubborn c**ts, man,” he said.
“One of them (stayed inside the van). One of them did. Lock himself in the van.”
“My solicitor once told me that police cells, they’re fine,” the undercover said.
“They can’t. They do the jail ones, in here. Apparently fine.”
By the time the case hit the District Court, the case against the criminal was overwhelming and he pleaded guilty to a range of charges including, robbery with a dangerous weapon, carjacking, firearm offences and directing a criminal group.
In February, Judge David Frearson sentenced him to a maximum 10 years and six months jail with a non parole period of six years and six months.
The criminal has since lodged an appeal which is yet to be heard.