Suspect who violently attacked elderly Dartmouth man sentenced to prison

A 39-year-old Canton man who violently attacked and robbed an elderly Dartmouth man at a Dartmouth gas station in late 2016 was sentenced to serve 10 to 12 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

According to Gregg Miliote of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Robert Perard was convicted in Fall River Superior Court last week after an 11-day trial of indictments, charging him with armed and masked robbery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 years old.

On November 25, 2016, the defendant entered a Shell gas station while masked and proceeded to approach the victim, strike him in the face, knock him to the ground, strike him over the head with a gun, and took money from his pockets. The victim, who provided an impact statement to the court during sentencing last week, told Judge Sharon Donatelle that the attack has caused him severe stress and anxiety. He also stated that the incident has negatively impacted his relationship with his friends and that he suffers nightmares about the incident.

A thorough investigation by Dartmouth Police determined that the female clerk at the gas station helped plan the robbery with the defendant. The female clerk has since fled the area and is likely to be indicted in the near future. The investigation, though, did lead to the arrest of the defendant about a month after the incident.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Driscoll argued that based on the defendant’s lengthy criminal record, which includes multiple robbery convictions, coupled with the vicious nature of the attack, the defendant should serve a 12 to 15 year state prison term. The defendant, however, requested a more lenient five year state prison sentence.

“A 69 year old man just minding his own business was violently robbed by the defendant. This was a classic inside job because the clerk knew he carried all his cash on him,” District Attorney Quinn said. “This was not an easy case to solve and the Dartmouth police deserve a lot of credit for their follow through in arresting the defendant. The defendant is a repeat offender who deserves to be off the street for a long time.”