It began on March 10 this year, when about 10.40pm, he entered Christchurch's Tavern Harewood wielding a pump action shotgun in his left hand, and a black plastic rubbish bag.
His face was covered with a black woollen hat with the eyes cut out.
And he was wearing a grey hooded sweat-top with the hood up, underneath a black jacket, dark pants and rubber gloves.
Roake walked into the pub through the main door and pointed the gun at a female patron before approaching the duty manager.
He pump actioned the shotgun twice before telling the duty manager to put the cash from the safe and gambling machines into the bag.
"Stay still and I won't hurt anybody," Roake said.
The duty manager put $18,982 into the bag.
As Roake, a hammer hand from Ilam, ran out the front door, $2000 in cash fell out of the bag.
Four days later, he went to The Brickworks Bar, again with a long-barrelled pump action shotgun that police say he had obtained earlier that day.
Again wearing the same dark clothes and mask, he went through the front door and demanded cash from the female duty manager.
As she filled his bag with money, he told her: "You're doing well, ma'am."
Roake fled with $43,000 and drove off.
On March 24 shortly before midnight, he hit Trevino's Restaurant and Bar in Riccarton.
At gunpoint, he again demanded cash from the tills, safe and gaming machines from a female duty manager.
He again used the line, "You're doing well, ma'am," before leaving with $29,708.
Five days later he went back to The Brickworks Bar.
Finding the door locked, he used a shotgun whose stock he'd sawn off earlier that day, to blast the glass door.
This time the haul was $12,000 and again he said: "You're doing well, ma'am."
Carrying a long-barrelled SKS rifle, with its wooden stock cut off, he entered the Springston Hotel on April 6 at 10.30pm.
"Get the money out of the tills and place it in the bag," he said.
He told drinkers to "Get on the ground, no one will get hurt".
During the robbery, he threatened several patrons that he would "blow their heads off".
At gunpoint, Roake ordered the female duty manager to empty the safe.
When she replied that she couldn't access the safe, he fired a bullet into the ceiling above the patrons.
While she was removing money from the gaming machines and TAB machine, Roake again demanded money from the safe.
The duty manager said the safe was empty. He again fired a shot which went through the roof.
Before leaving with $10,000, he told the duty manager to get on the ground and stay there and "you won't get hurt".
He told the patrons not to follow him or he would return and murder them.
It all came to a terror-stricken crescendo on April 19.
At about 10pm, he went to a farm at Newtons Rd, Rolleston.
A mother and daughter, and a baby, lived in the main house. The daughter had previously met Roake, the police summary says.
A female relative of the mother and daughter lived in a barn at the property.
Heavily-disguised, with a black woollen hat with the eyes cut out, Roake entered the farm carrying a long-barrelled pump action shotgun and black sports bag containing a mallet.
As the woman who lived in the barn was putting items in her car parked near the front door, Roake appeared, pointing the gun at her.
He ordered her into the house.
While Roake was distracted, the woman managed to flee and phone police.
Roake blasted two shots into the locked front door of the main house, where the mother and daughter had been watching TV.
Roake told them to get on the floor and demanded money and keys to a car.
One of the victims, believing she was going to be killed, refused to lie down and started to push Roake away and try and grab the gun.
During the struggle, she managed to pull his balaclava off. She recognised Roake straight away.
Meanwhile the other woman ran from the room and phoned police, as well as her son who lived nearby.
Roake pulled out the mallet and started striking the woman, aiming at her head.
He then shot the woman in the leg, forcing her to fall against a wall.
She pleaded with Roake that she did not want to die and tried to run away.
He then smashed the other woman with the mallet as the relative from the barn went inside the house, striking Roake with a lid from an ornamental vase.
Roake pointed the gun at her and said: "I'm going to shoot you".
He shot her in the stomach, causing her to fall to the floor.
One of the victim's sons showed up.
When Roake saw him he pointed the gun at his head, but he was out of ammunition.
Roake got in his vehicle and drove to Ashburton where he held up the Turf Bar at Ashburton Hotel.
"This is a robbery, get inside, and lie on the ground," he said.
He fired a shot into a wall and then two more into the cash till as he tried to open it.
He took $1645 in cash from the safe before fleeing to an address at Rakaia Huts.
Police tracked him down the following morning where he admitted the Ashburton robbery.
Today at Christchurch District Court, through lawyer Helen Coutts on behalf of defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC, Roake enter pleas to all charges.
He pleaded guilty to six charges of aggravated robbery, two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and two charges of presenting a firearm.
Coutts said no continuation of name suppression was sought.
Judge Gary MacAskill remanded Roake in custody to be sentenced on August 23.
He asked for victim impact statements to be provided and referred the case to restorative justice.
