KEY POINTS:
Police have released pictures of the lone gunman who robbed a central Wellington brothel of thousands of dollars.
The man walked into the Vivian St premises of Il Bordello with a sawn-off rifle about 11.40pm on Sunday.
He demanded money from the brothel's female receptionist at gunpoint and escaped with "a large amount of cash".
It has been reported the figure could have been as high as $20,000 with the brothel saying it had a bumper weekend following the Wellington leg of the international rugby sevens.
Police yesterday appealed for help from the public in identifying the offender and today released pictures from the brothel's security video footage of the gunman.
Detective Sergeant Mike Patz today said he hoped the pictures would help members of the public identify him.
In the images the man - described as European, in his 30s and slimly built - appears to be wearing a green pair of disposable overalls.
Mr Patz said there had been a good response to the police call for people to come forward with information.
Several local street workers had provided information about a man who fitted the offender's description - and wearing dark clothing including a beanie - who was seen in nearby Marion St about 20 minutes before the heist.
Mr Patz praised the actions of the receptionist who tried to thwart the robbery.
"She saw him approach the counter with the firearm and swiftly closed a sliding door panel to try and avoid him," he said.
"The offender wasn't deterred, forced open the panel, leapt over the counter, grabbed the victim and forced her to hand over the takings.
"She did well to keep calm in what was a very traumatising sequence of events."
He said the robber fled through the back of the brothel and possibly left in a dark coloured saloon-style car that was in the Swan Lane and Marion Street areas around the time of the robbery.
- NZPA
