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Man sentenced to time served for armed robbery of Abbotsford gas station

Incident took place in May 2019 at corner of Riverside Street and Harris Road
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Royston Verney has been sentenced for the robbery of the Shell gas station on Harris Road and Riverside Street in Abbotsford in May 2019.

A man has been sentenced to time served for the armed robbery of an Abbotsford gas station in May 2019.

Royston Verney, 41, was sentenced Feb. 16 in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford after previously pleading guilty to one count of robbery and one count of using an imitation firearm.

Two other charges – possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and another count of robbery – were stayed at sentencing.

Verney was also handed three years’ probation and a lifetime weapons ban.

He had been in custody since his arrest following the robbery on May 25, 2019 of the Shell gas station at the corner of Riverside Street and Harris Road.

Police at the time said that Verney walked up to the cashier, showed a gun, demanded and obtained money, and then ran away. He was arrested shortly afterwards.

RELATED: Man charged with gunpoint robbery at Abbotsford gas station

Verney was also previously sentenced to time served for a break-and-enter in Abbotsford in April 2019 and for driving with a suspended licence in February of that year.

Verney also has a criminal history in Ontario. In 2010, he tried to rob a grocery store in Hamilton, Ont., according to news reports at the time.

When he attempted to reach toward the cash register, the clerk quickly slammed the till shut on his hand, and Verney ran away empty-handed.

He was seen getting into a pickup truck and driving away, and police then pursued him briefly before arresting him. He was subsequently charged with robbery and dangerous driving.

Other news reports indicate that Verney was again arrested and charged in 2013 after a robbery occurred at a bank in Brantford, Ont.

A description of the suspect vehicle was given to police, but when they tried to pull over the car, the driver ignored the emergency lights and siren. The car eventually stopped, and the driver and passenger tried to run away, but were quickly arrested by officers.

Verney and another man were each charged with robbery with a firearm, using a disguise, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and fleeing from police officers.



vhopes@abbynews.com

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Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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