André Charles Stander (22 November 1946 – 13 February 1984) was a South African criminal and policeman. One of the most infamous bank robbers in South Africa's history, Stander was notorious for the audacious manner with which he carried out his crimes; he sometimes carried out the crime on his lunch break, often returning to the scene as an investigating officer. Stander was portrayed by American actor Thomas Jane in the 2003 film Stander. Police career The son of a prominent figure in the South African Prison Service, Major General Francois Jacobus Stander (1916–2001), André was under pressure from an early age to pursue a career in law enforcement. He enrolled at the South African Police training college near Pretoria in 1963, graduating at the top of his class. Shortly afterwards he joined the Kempton Park criminal investigation department. Criminal activities Robberies In 1977, Stander flew to Durban and robbed his first bank. Between 1977 and 1980, he is believed to have stolen nearly a hundred thousand rand. After robbing nearly 30 banks, Stander was arrested and sentenced to 75 years in prison on 6 May 1980. However, since many of the charges in the sentence ran concurrently, he faced an actual sentence of 17 years. Stander met Allan Heyl and Lee McCall at the Zonderwater maximum security prison. Motivation After his first trial, Stander claimed that his disillusionment with police service stemmed from a prior incident when he and his fellow officers shot and killed 176 unarmed schoolchildren during the 1976 Soweto uprising. However, Stander was not present with the police contingent at Thembisa when the shooting of unarmed schoolchildren took place. Other accounts have suggested that Stander, who completed his national service in Angola during the South African Border War, may have also been bored with civilian life and craved the excitement afforded by a life of crime. Stander Gang On 11 August 1983, Stander and McCall, along with five other inmates, were taken from the prison's premises for a physiotherapy appointment. Once the prisoners were left alone with the physiotherapist, Stander and McCall overpowered her and escaped. The other prisoners refused to participate and stayed behind. Stander and McCall returned to Zonderwater on 31 October 1983, in order to spring Allan Heyl from the facility where he was taking a trade test. From that day until the end of January 1984, the three began robbing banks together,