Crown seeks indefinite prison term for armed robber

Convicted armed robber Laurence Minhinnick has appealed for the Crown not to go ahead with its bid to have him locked up permanently.

The Crown is seeking preventive detention for Minhinnick because of his criminal history.

Preventive detention has usually been reserved for repeat sex offenders but a recent law change has allowed it to be used for other types of criminals.

Minhinnick dispensed with the services of his lawyer part way through his Christchurch District Court jury trial two weeks ago and represented himself for the remainder of the hearing.

He has not yet replaced his lawyer and faces sentencing for an open-ended jail term without representation.

After the jury convicted him, he was remanded to today for medical and psychiatric reports to be completed so that Judge Stephen Erber could consider whether to agree to the crown request to send him to the High Court where preventive detention could be imposed.

The reports had not been completed in time for today's hearing, so Judge Erber further remanded Minhinnick in custody to September 11.

Judge Erber urged Minhinnick to arrange defence counsel in the meantime. "As you know, this would be an indeterminate sentence with no end in sight.

"I have to be satisfied that there is a reasonable possibility that preventive detention would be imposed."

To send the sentencing to the High Court, he needed two reports on whether there was a likelihood of Minhinnick reoffending.

Minhinnick told the judge: "I can understand what the Crown are trying to do. I think at my age, 48, by the time I get out I'll be near enough to 60.

"I don't think I'll be silly enough to be running around committing any more serious crimes."

"There's a lot in what you say," said Judge Erber.

Minhinnick also said his co-accused received a two-year term, and if he got preventive detention himself "there will be disparity in sentencing".

"For what the Crown is trying to give me, I just don't fathom their reasoning. Are the Crown not happy for me to be getting out of jail in my late 50s?"

Judge Erber said at the moment - without the psychiatric reports - he was inclined to the view that preventive detention was not required.

Minhinnick was convicted of using a cut-down rifle to hold up two security guards as they collected the takings of the Pak'N'Save supermarket in Moorhouse Avenue during a snowstorm on September 19 last year.

Confronted with the armed robber, the guards handed over bags of cash totalling $226,691.

Minhinnick then fled to a car where a colleague was waiting. That driver, who was found with a bag of cash totalling about $20,000, has since been jailed.

At his trial, Judge Erber described Minhinnick as "an obviously intelligent man" who had defended himself in court.

He had denied involvement, saying he had an alibi.

- NZPA