Richmond Hill
December 01, 2008 03:10 PM
A 24-year-old Brampton man was sentenced to eight years in jail in connection to a string of violent restaurant robberies in Markham and Richmond Hill.
He will serve seven years because one has been credited for pre-sentence custody and house arrest.
Andrew Nelson was found guilty in May on five counts of robbery, two counts of possession of stolen property and one count of possession of ammunition in Newmarket court.
Between April 30 and June 13, 2004, three armed suspects committed takeover-style robberies of five Chinese restaurants in Markham, Richmond Hill and Scarborough.
The suspects would enter the restaurants through the rear kitchen door, order the employees and customers to the ground and rob the businesses.
Mr. Nelson and Omare Dunchie were arrested in February 2005 while a Canada-wide warrant was issued for the third suspect, Julian Barrett.
Mr. Dunchie pleaded guilty in January 2008, prior to his trial, and was sentenced to 10 years.
Mr. Barrett, 29, of Brampton is still wanted by York Regional Police.
He is described as male, black, six-feet, three-inches tall, weighing 175 pounds, with a large afro hairstyle.
He is considered armed and dangerous.
If you have information regarding this crime, contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext 6630, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip at www.1800222tips.com