A man who police allegedly found hiding in a bush, close to a large sum of money and with a torch-shaped lighter similar to what was brandished at a staff member at the Figtree Hotel has told Wollongong Local Court it wasn't him who held up the pub and made off with $1100 in cash.
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Christopher James Dunn-Holz, 29, appeared from the police holding cells in Wollongong Local Court on Monday after being charged on Sunday evening with armed robbery.
Police allege that Dunn-Holz was captured on CCTV at the Figtree Hotel threatening a staff member.
Dunn-Holz then allegedly demanded a sum of money and walked away with $1100 in cash.
Dunn-Holz later tried to offer $50 in cash for a taxi ride, before police later found him hiding a few streets away in bushes on Donnell Drive, Figtree.
Appearing for Dunn-Holz, Jacob Mecham said his client contested the police version of events.
While conceding the bush was a strange palace for Dunn-Holz to be found, previous dealings with police had made him wary of officers, Mr Mecham said.
The offer of cash at the beginning of the taxi ride was also unusual, Mr Mecham said, but not indicative of criminal behaviour.
"[It's] just someone who wanted a taxi very urgently," he said.
Further, finding the money close to Dunn-Holz was also "strange", but the amount did not match what was taken from the till at the Figtree Hotel, even after subtracting the $50 offered for the cab.
As for the CCTV, Mr Mecham said the identifying tattoos on the footage were not on his client.
"[Dunn-Holz] can't definitely be linked to the robbery that occurred," he said.
In applying for bail, the court heard that Dunn-Holz was about to move into a subsidised flat in Mangerton after being homeless for six years, and going into custody would imperil this chance at secure housing, as well as a job offer which required a meeting with an employment provider tomorrow.
Police opposed bail, with the police prosecutor arguing Dunn-Holz could be identified in the CCTV, was found with the cash and had a gold coloured torch lighter in his backpack which was similar to what witnesses described as the weapon being used in the robbery.
Registrar Leah Harvey refused Dunn-Holz bail, saying the allegations were "extremely alarming".
Dunn-Holz will return to court on Tuesday.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
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