A man who carried out a terrifying armed robbery spree across Sydney in the 1980s has been sentenced to 28 years behind bars.
Ian Robert Steele committed 30 armed hold-ups at banks, services stations and financial institutions across the city — in suburbs including Bankstown, Summer Hill, Caringbah, Drummoyne, Chippendale and Glebe — between 1982 and 1987.
The 59-year-old was arrested twice during this time but managed to escape jail and flee to England.
He was deported back to Australia last year after serving time for murdering his girlfriend.
District Court Judge Jennie Girdham said Steele's offences were committed in a terrifying manner and caused trauma to numerous innocent people.
Before the sentencing began Steele told the court he offered his deepest regrets and apologies to anyone he had offended against.
He will be eligible for parole in 21 years.
Following Steele's arrest last year, former detective superintendent Brian Harding — who was in the NSW Police armed hold-up squad for most of the 1980s — recalled Steele's initial arrest.
"We got him up at Kings Cross, we had surveillance on him and we just created one of those mobile traffic jams where he boxed his vehicle in and we arrested him without incident," Mr Harding told ABC News.
"There were no dramas and I think we charged him with eight or nine armed robberies, but then he later escaped from custody and went to Victoria."
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