Latest news with #Tutt
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Bowling club manager accused of orchestrating staged robbery behind bars over DV offences
A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service.
National Business Review
5 days ago
- Business
- National Business Review
New boss for media company Stuff Digital
Media company Stuff Digital has appointed a familiar face as its new managing director. Nigel Tutt will begin his new role in August, more than a decade after he left the business to lead digital marketing company Affinity ID. The appointment follows the resignation of Stuff chief executive Laura Maxwell last August – a role that has since been filled by the company's owner and former chief executive, Sinead Boucher. Tutt was the general manager of Stuff's digital business in the early 2010s, and before that was the commercial manager of its publishing business, when it was known as Fairfax Media. Since leaving Affinity ID, he has been the chief executive of economic development agency Priority One, in his home region of the Western Bay of Plenty. Boucher said in a statement she was thrilled he was rejoining the media company. 'Nigel is a hugely experienced digital media, marketing and technology leader who has a striking combination of skills for this next era in Stuff Digital Ltd,' she said. 'When he led what was then Fairfax's digital business where I was Stuff editor, he spearheaded significant revenue and audience growth through sharp commercial skills and a deep understanding of what Kiwis want.' Tutt said he had watched Stuff Group's latest transformation 'with delight'. The company had gone from strength to strength, 'forging the leading position in independent media and making bold moves at a time when the industry needs it most'. He will report to the new Stuff Digital Ltd board, chaired by Boucher, with equal representation from Trade Me and Stuff Group. It was confirmed this week that Trade Me planned to buy 50% of Stuff Digital, in a media shake-up that will see renewed competition between Stuff and its main rival, NZME. The deal does not include Stuff's masthead publishing business, which manages its legacy newspaper brands. This is supplied content and not commissioned or paid for by NBR.
