Bakers Delight: Cold case squad renew probe into 2009 aggravated robbery in Myaree, girl terrorised over safe

Cold case detectives have reponed an investigation into a robbery where two thugs armed with a mallet and screwdriver terrorised a teenage girl over a safe inside a bakery more than 16 years ago. The West Australian can reveal that an enhanced DNA sample taken by police following the aggravated robbery at a Bakers Delight in Myaree has investigators one step closer to tracking down two men who fled the scene of the historic crime. Detective Constable Ash Killian, from cold case investigations, said the young worker entered the North Lake Road store before she was confronted by the pair just after 1am on April 6, 2009. “She has gone to start work, and then she has heard a disturbance at the front of the store,” Det. Const. Killian said. “She texted her manager to let him know about the disturbance, she’s gone to the front of the store, and that’s where she’s ultimately been confronted by these two males — one with a mallet and one with a screwdriver. “They’ve grabbed her by the arm and pushed her down into the back room. One of them stood watching her while the other used the mallet to try and open the safe.” Det. Const. Killian said the men demanded money from the till and tried to smash their way into the safe, before the young workers’ manager scared them away. “The manager turned up and realised that something was going on inside the store, so he started beeping his car’s horn to try and disturb them, which has worked. “They’ve gone, fleeing from the location, and he’s ultimately seen them get into a BMW, which was stolen the previous day.” The two armed robbers failed to steal the contents of the safe. The girl escaped serious injury. “For a young girl, I can only imagine how traumatic this would have been for her, and I’ve no doubt that this would have played on her mind for the last 16 years,” Det Const. Killian said. “For us, it’s really important that we continue to work to bring closure to the victims.” The BMW E53 station sedan, with the registration 027NAT, was stolen from Woodman Point Boat Ramp, Coogee, the day before before it was used in the robbery. Police said a white Mazda Bravo dual-cab utility, with pinstriping, was used to steal the BMW and a boat trailer which it was hooked to. Just one day after the robbery, police recovered the stolen BWW on a vacant block on Frankenia Turn in Success. The screwdriver and hammer were seized and forensically examined by police. The stolen boat trailer was found later that day in Henderson. Police have yet to track down the offenders but it is understood they are pursuing new leads following improvements in DNA enhancement technology. Det. Const. Killian said the offending could be linked to a number of luxury vehicle thefts in the Fremantle area around the same time. “The community do play a major role in helping us crack these cold cases, and someone out there might hold key information that will allow us to move forward this with this investigation, and even the smallest detail could open up a whole new line of inquiry and be the reason that a case gets solved.” “It’s important to really make clear that this type of offending won’t be tolerated — everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplace or their home or anywhere else.” “We will work hard to resolve these cases — we do have new lines of inquiry and we are exploring them.” One of the offenders was wearing a dark facial covering and was described as being aged between 17 and 20, approximately 165cm tall, with a slim and athletic build. It is believed he had a dark or tanned complexion. He was wearing white sneakers and possibly wearing gloves. The other was described as being aged 20, about 175cm tall, with fair complexion, short sandy brown or blonde hair and a rat’s tail. Both men were wearing dark clothing. All reports to crime stoppers can be made anonymously online here or via 1800 333 000.