Masked Hickinbottom, aged 43, and a hooded accomplice who appeared to be armed, had stormed into the bank using a broom to prop the door open and ensure a quick getaway. In dramatic footage captured on the bank’s CCTV cameras, Hickinbottom orders staff to “Give me all the money” and warns customers to stand back. Footage of the second robber, who is still at large, appears to show him pointing at something in his pocket.
Customer Mark Piddington saw what was happening and lashed out, striking the robber in the head, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard. Brave Mr Piddington grabbed hold of Hickinbottom’s hood, landed several firm punches and pulled him to the floor of the Hagley Road West branch. Mr Julian Elcock, prosecuting, told the court: “Several other men came at this point – some of the customers and some builders working at the back of the bank. “Together they held the defendant on the ground until the police arrived.”
Hickinbottom, who had only been out of prison for 14 days after being released early from a six-year jail sentence for another bank robbery, then asked the have-a-go heroes to pull down his balaclava as he was struggling to breathe. He is now beginning an indefinite prison sentence lasting at least three years. Mr Piddington told police afterwards: “I did what I could and what I thought was right at the time.”
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6 comments:
Well at least none of the have-a-go heroes were charged (yet).
No doubt we'll hear about this career criminal again (in 3 years!).
I do hope this (customers foiling robbers) will set a trend...
i sure hope not..why would anyone risk their own safety for the interest of a multibillion corporation bank (who is insured for this kind of events anyway) goes beyond me.
Because the more robberies there are, the more expensive all bank-services will become for the customers. Insurance fees go up and the banks will charge more to their customers to keep their profits high. In the end it will always be the customers who have to pay up. So those thugs in the end always hurt the customers.
oh thats stupid, the banks should be protecting themselves, not requiring the public to risk their lives, im not going to the bank and wondering - hmmm should i risk my life for this insitution today? also i am not convinced that a few robberies here and there will cause blanket increases to customer fees. I love when the public steps in to stop a bank robbery, it is just a well oiled machine working as it should...did the guy who stopped the robbery then get a home loan denied? There is no human face here, yet we romantically apply such heroics
<span>oh thats stupid, the banks should be protecting themselves, not requiring the public to risk their lives, im not going to the bank and wondering - hmmm should i risk my life for this insitution today?</span>
Most banks don't require you to be a hero. If your bank does, perhaps you should consider switching institutions. That's one hell of a "service fee"...
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