Finlay Dunseath/Stuff
Armed police on Lambton Quay in central Wellington after the armed robbery.
A serial bank robber who narrowly escaped preventive detention at his last sentencing has pleaded guilty to robbing a foreign currency exchange in Wellington.
Part of Lambton Quay was taped off by police on February 8 after police were called to No.1 Currency store after a man pulled out a gun.
Steven Kurt Peri, 43, had gone in about 9.17am, pulled a pistol from his waistband and pointed it at the first teller demanding money.
She hurried away so Peri pointed it at the second one and racked the slide on the pistol.
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The teller handed over Australian currency and then when he asked if that was all she had she gave him money from other countries.
He left with about $10,000 in different currencies but was picked up by police that afternoon after being spotted by police near the Haywards Interchange.
ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF
Minister for Small Business Ginny Andersen views a fog cannon going off in a Wellington store.
Wellington District Court judge Kevin Phillips remanded him until May for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of a pistol and breaching supervision.
Peri was sentenced in the High Court in Auckland in 2015 to four years and 11 months jail for the aggravated robbery of the Henderson BNZ. The judge then declined to give him preventive detention saying that intensive supervision could help him rehabilitate.
He had been deported to New Zealand from Canada after carrying out several aggravated robberies there.
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