14 DAY TRIAL // You would think that bank robberies are becoming a thing of the past, but it seems that there still are some intrepid criminals who try their hand at raiding local branches.
A bungling thief armed with a breadknife attempted to rob a bank just minutes after giving the cashier his full name and address. Needless to say, his bid failed and, besides leaving empty-handed, he was sentenced to two and a half years in jail.
Dean Smith went to his local Barclays Bank branch in Bute Street, Treorchy, on April 15 to change his address, but after seeing tills full of cash, he decided to come back and rob it.
He went home, put on a hooded jacket, a pair of sunglasses, and some socks over his shoes in an attempt to disguise himself and returned 30 minutes later. He was seen by CCTV cameras entering the bank in his terrible disguise and holding a knife in his hand.
The criminal approached cashier Catherine Stockton and asked her to hand over all the money. Ms. Stockton refused to do so, and Smith was forced to leave the bank embarrassed and empty-handed. And to make the incident even more hilarious, an elderly gentleman in his 70s, who was standing next to him, offered him £20 ($33.5/€24.5) of his own money to leave.
“He was not shouting. He was rushed but not angry or agitated. He sounded desperate,” said Rachel Knight, the prosecutor involved in the case at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. “Ms Stockton raised the alarm by pressing the panic button.”
Ms. Knight detailed that the clumsy criminal insisted that the bank clerk give him the money, and he only left when he heard that they were planning to lock the doors. She added that after the incident, employees closed the bank and offered the elderly gentleman a cup of tea.
Tracking Smith down was a piece of cake for police officers, as he had told Ms. Stockton his full name and address just before his robbery attempt.
In court, the 27-year-old man from Treorchy, South Wales, admitted attempted robbery and carrying a bladed weapon, according to a report by Wales Online.
His lawyer Steven Jeary said, “He told the police it was stupid and he was very sorry but he was desperate for money.”
Nonetheless, the presiding judge jailed him for two and a half years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court and ordered him to pay a £120 ($200/€146) victim surcharge.