I can't remember her face officer...
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:07 am
An armed robber who tried to distract a shop attendant by exposing her cleavage was today sentenced to four years in prison.
Tonee Walker, 22, was dubbed the 'Buxom Bandit' after she was caught on CCTV robbing a petrol station in Australia wearing a strikingly low-cut top.
She was armed with a knife during the hold-up in Gold Coast in July, and lowered her top to give the station attendant 'something to look at', according to her getaway driver.
Walker escaped with $300 (around £200) in cash, and gained worldwide notoriety after the CCTV footage was posted online.
She was caught after five days in the run because she had forgotten to cover her face and only wore one glove, meaning her fingerprints were found at the scene of the crime.
But prosecutor Mark Whitbread urged Southport District Court to take the crime seriously, and said it was only the 'moral background' of the service station attendant, Gary Corcoran, that stopped him retaliating against Walker.
‘It was a truly violent robbery, where a man has shown extreme courage acting in the way he did,’ the lawyer said.
Walker toned down her appearance when she appeared in court today – she was dressed in a demure black shirt-dress as she pleaded guilty to armed robbery and stealing a number plate.
Her lawyer, Marcin Lazinski, said his client had been high on amphetamines during the robbery.
Judge Anthony Rafter said that the footage of the crime was ‘disturbing’, and praised Mr Corcoran’s bravery.
Walker was sentenced to four years in jail, but will be eligible for parole in November because she has been behind bars since the robbery.
Her getaway driver, Alexander Spinks, told police that Walker had intentionally exaggerated her cleavage before going into the service station with the knife.
Spinks today pleaded guilty today to being an accessory to armed robbery, stealing a mobile phone, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and arson.
He was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.
