Rory Shayne
Rory Shayne (born Berkhard Bateman; 23 March 1951[1]) is a bank robber who gained notoriety for brazen heists committed in British Columbia and Quebec in the 1970s and 1980s.
Shayne was born in Hamburg, Germany, to a Canadian father and German mother.[1] Shayne's parents left him and his two sister's when he was two years old until they could be brought over to Canada, after which he was placed in a Hamburg orphanage and then a foster home. Shayne had scar tissue on his chest that he claimed was from his foster mother having cut his face when he was four years old, then burning his chest with boiling water to make the injuries appear as an accident.[1][2]
In Victoria, British Columbia, on 24 September 1970, Shayne led police on a daring chase which included a gunfight, hostage taking, and the commandeering of a sailing vessel. Taxi driver Dunc Addison picked up Shayne as a passenger in downtown Victoria and unknowingly drove him to the crime scene, a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Shayne returned to the cab after robbing the bank and claimed he had to get to the airport by 1 pm. Addison did not realize what had happened until Shayne fired shots through the rear window at pursuing police officers.[3][4][5]
References
- ^ a b c D'Arcy O'Connor (2011). Montreal's Irish Mafia: The True Story of the Infamous West End Gang. Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-470-15890-6.
- ^ Nick Rose (13 August 2018). "The Story of Canada's Infamous Helicopter-Hijacking Bank Robber". VICE. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Don Collins (25 September 1970). "Gunman Gives Up on U.S. Side After 13-Hour Land-Sea Chase". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. pp. 1–10.
- ^ "Suspect Yields in Hijacked Sailboat". The New York Times. 26 September 1970. p. 12.
- ^ "La vol de banque de Victoria: la police détient un Canadien, Rory Shayne". La Presse (in French). Montreal, Quebec. 26 September 1970. p. E10.
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