SHORTCUT TO RISDON

Gavin was an odd child.  As far back as his parents could remember he showed an unhealthy fascination with people who operated on the wrong side of the law and nobody was surprised when he was caught shop-lifting on his sixth birthday.  That was the only time he was found breaking the law but nobody who knew him thought that he had learned his lesson; he just became more clever at choosing his targets and covering his tracks afterwards.

 

If you had visited him during his teenage years, you might have been surprised at the movies he had in his video library: he boasted that he had copies of every ‘heist’ movie ever made. Whether he would turn his interest to real-life crime was a worry for his parents and everyone else who knew him.

 

However, he lived what appeared to be a blameless life, doing well in school, marrying and having children, holding down a responsible job but,  no one, not even his wife, was invited to look into his personal scrapbook where  Gavin, over the years, had managed to put together a gallery of some of the world’s most celebrated crooks.  There were photographs of famous gangsters like  Al Capone and John Dillinger and, in pride of place, the mug shot of the infamous Ronnie Biggs, the brains behind the UK’s Great Train Robbery.

 

Gavin’s best friend was a gullible young man whom he had known since their school days. He looked up to Gavin, and often asked him for advice about life’s problems.  It seemed inevitable that, if Gavin ever decided to step off the straight and narrow, he would choose Brendan to be his off-sider.

 

In fact, Gavin had often wondered how he might go about committing a major heist, taking into account that he lived in Tasmania where the chance of a large amount of cash or other valuables being gathered together was a very remote possibility.  However, one day, he was delighted to note in the news that the Wrest Point Casino had been chosen to host the Australian Poker Championships with a prize of $1 million dollars in gold bullion.  The tournament would be launched the following weekend and, as a publicity stunt, the gold would be on display.

 

Of course, it would be heavily guarded but Gavin was confident he could fool the experts and steal the gold.  He probably knew more about major heists than anyone in the world.  After all, he had studied all the movies and read all the books; he knew the ins and out, the pitfalls and, above all, the mistakes to avoid.

 

Gavin contacted Brendan with the good news that they were about to become rich beyond their wildest dreams. The first consideration was to learn as much as he could about the situation: where would the gold be displayed, how would it be guarded, where was it locked away at night, and so on?  In Gavin’s preferred vernacular, he needed to ‘case the joint’.  

 

Gavin and Brendan didn’t stand out at Wrest Point.  The staff there were used to seeing rather seedy young men hanging around with no apparent purpose. It didn’t take Gavin long to notice a slight flaw in the system.  There were only two guards whose job it was to push the trolley carrying the gold to the strongroom for overnight storage.  One man stood with the gold while the other one opened the strongroom door. 

 

Gavin’s plan was that Brendan would confront the second guard while Gavin tackled the first.  When the guards were overpowered and held at gunpoint, it would be easy enough to snatch the gold and make their getaway. Brendan seemed a little confused but with patience Gavin made it clear to him exactly what he had to do.  Brendan even suggested he give his guard a drink so that his hands would be full and would not be able to draw his gun.  Gavin firmly told him that would not be a good idea.

 

Late on the fateful night, Gavin and Brendan waited for the crowds in the casino to dissipate.  From behind some curtains they watched the two guards push their trolley across the carpet to the platform where the gold was stacked.  As they approached the strongroom door, Gavin whispered, “Let’s go!”

 

Gavin rushed to the guard who was opening the door, expecting to see Brendan confronting the second guard pushing the trolley. But Brendan wasn’t there.  In the confusion, the two guards realised what was happening, drew their guns and easily overpowered the would-be thief.  

 

Later, when asked what had happened, Brendan admitted he still thought it was a good idea to buy his guard a drink, but it took longer than he thought it might.

 

If you visit Gavin in his cell at Risdon Prison don’t forget to ask him about his collection of famous heist stories.  He’ll talk about them for hours.