The Pitiful Bank Robber

November 24, 2014

A man walks into a bank and presents the teller with a note demanding money due to his mother’s illness. Normally, when someone walks into a bank and presents a note demanding money, it’s a robbery. That was not the outcome in this case.

At trial, the accused was acquitted of “Robbery” and was convicted of the lesser offence of “Theft Under $5000”. The reason? At trial, two bank tellers testified that they didn’t fear for their safety, rather, they felt sorry for the robber. One of the key elements of the offence of Robbery is the “apprehension of physical harm”. The evidence of the tellers revealed that they weren’t afraid of the individual, and as a result, he was acquitted of “Robbery”.

R. v. Oliveiros Ortega, 2014 ONSC 6414

Take a look at the link below:
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2014/2014onsc6414/2014onsc6414.html

At Passi & Patel, our criminal defence experienced lawyers team in Brampton, Milton, and Mississauga understand legal issues can be stressful. Please call us at 905-459-0004 or e-mail us at info@passipatel.com to schedule a free consultation.