Leif Spilchen hides his face while leaving Kentville Supreme Court Monday in April 2021 after being convicted of attempting to rob the Valley Credit Union branch in Canning two years before. Photo by Ian Fairclough /Ian FaircloughArticle contentA man convicted four years ago of trying to rob an Annapolis Valley credit union branch shortly after getting out of prison for robbing another branch has been charged with robbing a gas station in Kentville just days after his sentence for the second robbery expired.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn the early morning of July 3, Kentville police received a 911 call reporting a robbery in progress at the Ultramar station on Park Street, where two suspects fled with an undisclosed sum of money.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentBridgewater police were called to assist with their K-9 unit, and the suspects were tracked down and arrested. The money was recovered.Article contentJason Jesso-Hill, 29, of Kentville was charged with robbery, while 45-year-old Leif Spilchen, of no fixed address, was charged with robbery, obstructing police and aiding in the commission of an offence.Article contentBoth men appeared in court later that day. Hill was released on bail by consent of the Crown, while Spilchen was granted bail after a hearing at which the Crown opposed his release.Article contentThey are returning to court Aug. 20 for election and plea.Article contentOn June 29, 2021, Spilchen was sentenced to seven years, reduced to four for his time spent on remand, for trying to rob the Valley Credit Union branch in Canning. He was found guilty in April that yearArticle contentHe had been released from custody in February 2019 after serving some of his four-year sentence for robbing the credit union’s Hantsport branch in March 2016. But four months after his release, he tried to rob the Canning branch in an attempt that Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Kevin Coady described at sentencing as “an unmitigated disaster.”Article contentArticle contentSpilchen showed up at the branch 10 minutes before it opened. He kicked at the door trying to get in and discharged a firearm, although no projectile appeared to come from the weapon and the glass was undamaged.Article contentThe staff ran outside through an emergency exit and called police, while Spilchen fled without getting inside, making his getaway in an easily identified vehicle at speeds of more than 100 kilometres an hour before police called off the pursuit.Article contentWithin an hour, RCMP arrested him at his girlfriend’s house.Article contentHe claimed at his sentencing on the Hantsport charge that he had a complete spinal cord injury with zero chance of ever walking again, but he walked into court after the arrest on the Canning charges.Article contentThe injury occurred after he threw himself down a set of stairs at the Burnside jail. He tried to blame guards for throwing him down the steps, but security video showed otherwise.Article contentSpilchen has a record dating to 1998 that includes extortion, weapon possession, theft, break and enter and nine robberies, including Hantsport.Article contentHe said at the sentencing for the Canning robbery that he has never hurt anyone in any of his robberies and that he was referred to in British Columbia, where the bulk of those offenses happened, as “the polite robber.”Article content
Convicted robber charged in gas station holdup after sentence for attempted bank heist ends
