Four years for man who robbed nine banks in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A 29-year-old man who admitted to using a fake gun during eight of his nine robberies at banks across Western Canada has been sent to prison for four years.

Shaun Cornish was sentenced Tuesday in British Columbia Supreme Court in Kamloops, B.C., but a seven-year term was reduced by 36 months to account for time spent behind bars since his arrest in January 2015.

The court was told Cornish robbed his first bank in Princeton, B.C., in December 2014 and the heists continued in the Alberta communities of High River, Lethbridge and Claresholm, as well as in Swift Current, Sask.

Three other financial institutions in B.C. were robbed in Vernon, Merritt and Aldergrove before police were able to track Cornish after his last holdup in Dawson Creek on Jan. 28, 2015.

Cornish was arrested a short time later in Grande Prairie, Alta., and has remained in custody ever since.

During sentencing, court heard Cornish had no previous criminal history, but began robbing banks after gambling, alcohol and drug addictions cost him his well-paying job with a Calgary-based company. (CFJC)