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A son of a fashion giant faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting holding three hostages at gunpoint and threatening to shoot police officers.
Last week Bruno Perillo pleaded guilty to 10 charges - including three of kidnapping - following a crime spree last July that
effectively closed down part of a busy Auckland suburb.
During the hostage drama, which lasted more than three hours, police threw stun grenades into a building where Perillo, armed with a gun, had held the hostages.
Perillo, son of the founder of Andrea Biani shoes, fled from police after being stopped in a stolen car. He then led officers in a high-speed pursuit through suburban Auckland.
When he eventually stopped Perillo pointed a pistol at police and shouted, "Stay back. I'll shoot you. Stay back," before threatening to kill himself.
He then took three panelbeaters hostage at gunpoint and spent three hours holed up in a West Auckland warehouse before being subdued by police.
Now that Perillo has pleaded guilty, the Herald on Sunday can reveal he stole a $50,000 4WD vehicle and racked up $3000 on a stolen credit card the week before the hostage drama.
On Friday, dressed in an oversized pinstripe suit, Perillo was due to have been sentenced on the 10 charges, but the hearing was postponed for a second time until late April. The maximum sentence for the most serious charge of kidnapping is 14 years.
Perillo underwent psychiatric testing at the Mason Clinic in Auckland after his dramatic arrest but it is understood a report found he did not have mental health problems.
Perillo, who turned 36 yesterday, was born into a world of private schooling, holidays at the beach houses of rich-listers and wealthy parents with a successful business.
He grew up with three brothers, Gino, Dario and Rico in the swanky suburb of Glendowie with their parents Ron and Wendy.
Ron Perillo was one of the four Perillo brothers who launched Andrea Biani footwear in the 1960s, a brand that became one of New Zealand's most successful.
The boys went to Sacred Heart College in Glendowie, rubbing shoulders with members of some of Auckland's wealthiest families.
After leaving college, Bruno Perillo became a cabinet maker.
In 2004 he emerged among Auckland's glitterati.
Dario Perillo told the Herald on Sunday last year he blamed his younger brother's downfall on his love for the social scene.
"He loved it. He thought it was great. I think he had too much of the good life and [it] was doing what the celebrities were doing that caused him to become unstuck."
