OFF THE WIRE
A former policeman and security guard only provided a gun used in a fatal holdup because he believed Comanchero bikies knew where members of his family lived, a Sydney court has been told.
Franjo Vlado Santalab, 33, pleaded guilty to being an accessory before the fact to robbery in relation to an attempted armed holdup in Sydney's north that resulted in the shooting death of a would-be robber.
Santalab, a former NSW policeman and Brinks employee, provided an unloaded Glock pistol to the robber, Nathan Brodbeck.
The 32-year-old was brandishing the weapon when he was gunned down outside the Dee Why RSL Club attempting to steal $750,000 from Brinks security guards in July last year.
The serial number on the pistol was registered to Santalab, who originally said a "friend" visited him and stole the firearm.
On Friday, Santalab told a sentencing hearing he provided the pistol for the robbery because he was told the Comancheros knew where his mother and sister lived.
In the lead-up to the botched theft, Santalab said "men of Middle Eastern appearance" with bikie links approached him numerous times, telling him "you work for us now".
"I wanted nothing to do with it ... I keep my personal life away from work," Santalab told the NSW District Court.
He said he thought "something incredibly bad was going to happen" to his family if he did not hand over the weapon.
"They were either going to be hurt or killed," he said.
The court had previously heard Santalab worked as a Brinks security guard at the time of the bungled robbery.
Three days before the attempt he warned a colleague it would take place.
According to agreed facts, Santalab and Brodbeck exchanged texts about the Brinks run Santalab was doing and the upcoming roster prior to the attempted heist.
The court heard on the night before the attempted robbery Santalab handed over the pistol, knowing it would be used.
Santalab's lawyer, Greg Heathcote, said his client had been "devastated" by his involvement in the incident.
He said it occurred after the breakdown of the former policeman's marriage and his discharge from the force, which had been his "dream job".
Judge Richard Cogswell adjourned sentencing to June 15.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/former-cop-feared-bikies-would-harm-family-20120420-1xckx.html
