A British man allegedly botched a
bank robbery because of a handwritten stickup note that was so sloppy the
teller couldn’t read it.
That would-be robbery was part of
a short-lived spree in East Sussex by 67-year-old Alan Slattery that included a
second failed stickup and one successful theft of $3,300, Sussex Police said in
a news release Wednesday.
The retiree tried to rob the
Nationwide Building Society on the morning of March 18 by slipping a note to
the teller – but he hightailed it out of there with no cash when the teller
couldn’t make out the writing, the release said.
Only after he was gone did staff
make out that the note said "your screen won’t stop what I’ve got just
hand over the 10s and 20s think about the customer’s (sic)."
The goofy crime was reminiscent
of a scene from the 1969 comedy film "Take the Money and Run," which
shows a bank robbery that goes wrong when the would-be robber argues with
tellers, a vice president and others about whether his stickup note says
"gun" or "gub."
But Slattery kept at it after his
first stickup went south, and on March 26 he slipped a note to a teller at
Nationwide Building Society who was able to read it – and turned over about
$3,300 cash, police stated.
Surveillance footage showed
Slattery boarding a bus afterward, and he was identified through the bus
company by the photo on his pass, according to police.
Slattery struck out one last time
before police charged him, though – this time at a NatWest bank on April 1, the
release said. He once again used a note, but this time the teller pushed back
and scared off Slattery who left the bank without taking anything, according to
police.
Police arrested Slattery walking
near his home later for robbery and attempted robbery, police stated. In his
house, they found "sticky labels" that matched one of his stickup
notes, the statement said.
"These incidents caused fear
and distress to both the employees working in the banks and to the wider
public," Detective Constable Jay Fair said in a statement.
"I’d like to thank all the
victims and witnesses who supported our investigation, and I’m pleased to see
the severity of the offenses reflected in the sentence handed out by the
court."