Sitting in an orange jumpsuit from a video booth at the Maplehurst Detention Centre on Tuesday, 41-year-old Jeffrey Laviolette pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery with a knife in relation to a crime spree involving five bank robberies over a 10-day period during the Christmas 2024 season.

The robberies he pled guilty to happened on Dec. 20 and Dec. 30 of that year.

Laviolette did not plead guilty to three other counts of robbery with a knife. But assistant Crown attorney Jamie Buckland-Foster told Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden the facts of those three incidents would be read into the record as part of the agreed statement of facts to be used only as an aggravating factor upon sentencing.

On each occasion, Laviolette entered the bank on foot armed with a knife and demanded $2,000 or $3,000. In each case, his face was clearly visible and not concealed. A red Mazda sedan associated with Laviolette was also used in two of the robberies.

According to the facts, the first robbery happened at 10:20 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2024, when he entered the Scotiabank on Islington Avenue.

Laviolette entered the bank and approached a teller with a knife sticking out of his sleeve. Laviolette said, “Give me $2,000. I’m not here to hurt anybody. I’m not here to hurt you.”

The teller took $250 out of the cash machine and placed it in a clear bag. When Laviolette complained it was not enough, the teller responded that $250 was all she could provide. He accepted this and fled on foot. Video surveillance showed the man fleeing towards a red Mazda sedan before he entered and drove away.

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The following day on Dec. 21, just after 11:30 a.m., there was a robbery at a Royal Bank on Wicksteed Avenue. Laviolette approached the counter and told the teller he wanted to withdraw $3,000. When the teller asked him for his bank card, Laviolette showed he had a folding knife in his pocket. The teller gave him $6,000 before Laviolette fled on foot. The teller said that Laviolette was calm and did not create a scene.

Two days later, on Dec. 23, Laviolette robbed a Bank of Montreal on Laird Drive. Laviolette approached a teller and placed his forearm on the counter, showing a knife sticking out of his jacket sleeve. In this case, he demanded $3,000, but the teller told him he could only give $500 without a manager’s authorization. Laviolette took the cash and fled on foot.

On Dec. 27, the facts state Laviolette walked into a Bank of Montreal on Eringate Drive and approached a teller. “You’re going to give me $2,000,” he said, according to the facts. While leaning over the counter, the teller noticed a knife blade in his sleeve. The teller withdrew $600 and gave him the case. Laviolette said, “That will do. Merry Christmas,” before exiting on foot.

The final robbery happened on Dec. 30 at 11:15 a.m. at a Bank of Montreal on Royal York Road.

Laviolette initially engaged the teller when he approached the counter. The tone of the conversation turned threatening and he demanded $2,000, telling her he was robbing the bank, while making hand gestures. The teller triggered the alarm before Laviolette made off with $500. Several other bank employees and witnesses reported seeing the incident. Video surveillance captured the robber leaving in a red Mazda sedan.

On Jan. 2, 2025, three days after the last bank robbery, a Toronto police officer observed an unoccupied red Mazda sedan in the parking lot of a Walmart on North Queen Street. The officer searched the licence plate affixed to the vehicle and learned it was registered to Laviolette. He obtained Laviolette’s Ministry of Transportation photo and saw a clear likeness to the suspect in each of the five bank robberies.

The car was put under surveillance and Laviolette was arrested when he returned.

Upon his arrest, he was wearing clothing consistent with clothing seen in video surveillance obtained from the five robberies. A search of his vehicle located the grey toque worn in all five robberies.

Laviolette also provided police with a statement and expressed regret for the people who felt terrified, including the last teller. “He stated she had some tears in her eyes and that that bothered him a lot,” said Buckland-Foster, reading from the facts.

After Buckland-Foster finished reading the agreed statement of facts, Bawden asked Laviolette if those facts were correct, to which Laviolette replied, “On the last one, I never threatened anybody. That’s absolutely incorrect.”

The judge suggested the facts should instead state his tone of the conversation turned threatening, to which Laviolette agreed.

The Crown has asked for a presentence report so the judge can understand Laviolette’s background to assist with sentencing.

“I understand when this was happening, you were in the throes of a relapse. Everyone’s objective is to see you get better,” Bawden said to Laviolette before court ended. “You obviously have to pay a serious price for what you did.”

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November. The maximum sentence for robbery with a weapon is life imprisonment.