A bank robber who was thwarted by customers in Abbotsford in June 2021 has received a two-year conditional sentence followed by three years of probation.
Neil Simpson was sentenced May 30 in Abbotsford provincial court after previously pleading guilty to pointing a firearm and robbery (reduced from the initial charge of robbery with a firearm).
A third charge – unlawful confinement – was stayed, as were five charges of possession of a firearm contrary to an order.
The incident took place June 2, 2021 at the Scotiabank at Gladwin Road and South Fraser Way.
On that day, Simpson walked into the bank carrying a shotgun and ordered everyone to lie on the ground, according to police.
Simpson then threw bags onto the counter and demanded money, but was quickly tackled to the ground by four customers.
Officers arrived on scene and arrested Simpson. The shotgun was confirmed to be real.
Simpson has a long criminal record, including being the subject of a police manhunt on Dec. 30, 2000 after fleeing custody with the help of two armed accomplices.
Simpson was being escorted back to prison – while serving time for possession of stolen property and prohibited weapons – after being treated for wounds at a Surrey hospital.
A news article stated that Simpson was taken to hospital after being slashed, but it was later discovered that the wounds were self-inflicted.
As the two unarmed guards and a handcuffed-and-shackled Simpson were leaving, they were approached by a man and a woman armed with a shotgun. They demanded that Simpson be released, and Simpson then got into the back of a stolen vehicle, which sped away.
Simpson later received a six-month conditional sentence and 12 months’ probation for escaping from lawful custody.
A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Simpson in December 2013 after failing to return to a designated home in Prince George.
Simpson was again in the news in 2017 after being charged with holding up a Prince George bank four years earlier. The charges were thrown out when the judge ruled that the case had taken too long to prosecute.
According to the provincial court database, Simpson has multiple prior convictions for offences such as drug possession, unauthorized possession of a firearm, assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a stolen vehicle, robbery and using an imitation firearm.
