Would-be robber who disguised himself and accent with tissues also left name and address

A would-be robber has been jailed after he disguised himself with paper tissues and left his name and address on the counter of the betting shop which he held up. Douglas Stewart fled empty handed when the assistant at the Betfred shop in Torquay, Devon, activated an alarm but he left a trail of clues which meant he was identified within minutes. His disguise consisted of bits of tissue glued to his face and he tried to conceal his strong Scottish accent by stuffing his mouth with strips of tissue paper so he could only talk in a mumble. He wrote two notes in which he claimed he had a bomb in his bag and that ex military personnel were surrounding the shop, but neither was true. He was recognised by the only other customer in the shop during the early morning raid because he had been a regular punter until he had been banned. Stewart wrote one of his demands for money on the letter from Betfred which barred him from the shop and which included his full name and address.

He left the letter on the counter when he fled and was then caught on CCTV as he took off his makeshift disguise in full view of the camera outside. He also left his fingerprints on another note which he had pinned to the door to try to stop other customers entering which read ‘Closed for Health and Safety, reopening at 12 noon’. Stewart, aged 48, of Torquay, admitted attempted robbery and was jailed for three years and eight months by Judge Phillip Wassall at Exeter Crown Court. He told him:”Objectively, it could be said you posed very little threat, but you have to consider it from the position of the cashier who was confronted with someone behaving in this bizarre manner and making threats. She had the presence of mind to say she was going to call the police and to press the panic button. She was scared for her life and I can see why she was. You pose a continuing risk to the public from the possibility of you committing further violent offences.”



Miss Beth Heaton, prosecuting, said Stewart went into the Betfred shop at around 8.30 am on August 27 when the only people there were assistant Stacey Evans and a customer. He entered wearing strips of tissue stuck to his face, no shoes, odd socks and carrying a sports bag and a black wheelie bag without the wheels. “He was seen rummaging in the sports bag and the assistant approached him and asked if he wanted to place a bet and to leave if he was not. He pointed at a piece of paper and said something she could not understand because he had tissue in his mouth and a very strong Scottish accent.” He then placed two notes on the counter. One was incoherent and mentioned ex members of the armed forces being outside. The other said he had a bomb in his bag and wanted money. It told the assistant to give him the keys and lock herself in the toilet. She told him she was calling the police and he left after she activated the alarm.

He was seen on CCTV leaving and walking down an alley where he changed his clothes. Detectives identified him from the images and also found his name and address on the letter he left on the counter, which had been sent to him by Betfred two years earlier to tell him he was banned from the shop. The other customer also knew him by name and recognised him as someone who was banned from most of the betting shops in the area. Miss Heaton said:”The whole incident left the assistant shaken and frightened and she says she honestly feared for her life.” She said Stewart has 72 previous convictions and was jailed for a robbery in Scotland in 2004. Mr Paul Dentith, defending, said Stewart’s behaviour was so bizarre that it amounted to a cry for help rather than a serious attempt at a robbery. He said:”This was not somebody who was professional and organised committing a serious attempt at robbery or making serious threats or intimidation, he left behind correspondence with his own name and address.” He said Stewart had overcome a heroin problem after moving to Devon from Scotland but reverted to the drug after taking a legal high called Cosh which led him to being thrown out of the drug centre where he was being treated.