Masked raider able to rob bank as manager afraid to quiz him over mask
Bank robber who queued up for 15 minutes before threatening staff with ‘acid’ in a Febreze can got away with it because manager was too polite to ask him to remove his mask in case he had a skin condition
- Simon Jones, 38, waited in line whilst wearing protective clothing in the queue
- He was asked by NatWest manager if she could help, but he continued to wait
- In court, manager Gemma Hughes said she did not want to cause any offence
- He was able to rob the bank after claiming he had acid and bomb on him
Simon Jones, 38, waited behind other customers at the NatWest in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, for a quarter of an hour while wearing the suspicious items of clothing
A hooded assailant wearing a face mask, dark glasses and gloves was allowed to rob a bank because the manager of the branch was scared of offending him.
Simon Jones, 38, waited behind other customers at the NatWest in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, for a quarter of an hour while wearing the suspicious items of clothing.
Staff and customers looked confused as he queued up with a bottle of Febreze in his bag, with one person even taking a picture of Jones.
Manager Gemma Hughes only asked whether she could help him as he stood in line and was worried about causing offence about a potential skin condition.
He continued waiting until he reached the front of the line, where he handed cashier Victoria Smith a note telling her he had acid and a bomb.
Miss Smith gave Jones £370 and he made his escape. She put a decoy £1,000 bundle which contained a tracking device – although the bank-approved device failed to work.
Had it not been for witnesses seeing Jones escape in his car, the suspect may never have been caught.
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Jones was seen pictured in the bank with his hood up and gloves on. He had Febreze in his bag as he entered the bank in West Auckland
Prosecutor Jane Waugh said Jones researched how to rob a bank online and took his girlfriend’s red Ford Fiesta while she walked her dog on May 17.
Instead of bursting through the door, he stood in line and waited like other customers.
Ms Waugh said: ‘One customer said he ‘didn’t look quite right’ and the police were called because of their suspicions.
‘The manager approached the defendant as he waited in the queue and asked if she could help him. He replied no.’
Ms Waugh added: ‘The manager was concerned he might have had a skin condition because he waited patiently in the queue.
‘She went to speak to him to find out if everything was alright.
‘She tread a careful line between upsetting someone who might have had to wear such things to protect their skin or have a nasty motive for wearing such a disguise.’
Jones, from West Auckland, County Durham, admitted robbery and taking his girlfriend’s car without consent. He was jailed for 40 months.
Judge Prince said he did not want to criticise the bank for their actions, he said: ‘Whilst it might be understandable not to want to offend someone with a skin condition, such were the circumstances here it is perhaps only due to time constraints on staff in the bank that a lot more was not done to spare Victoria Smith from the situation that arose.
Jones, from West Auckland, County Durham, admitted robbery and taking his girlfriend’s car without consent. He was jailed for 40 months. Pictured: Jones leaving his car on day of the robbery
‘She was left to face him one to one over the counter and was left in fear as to what might happen.’
Ms Smith had spent months off work and was only just in the process of returning, the court heard.
Her statement revealed she has had nightmares about the incident with Jones.
She said: ‘I felt like I was in a parallel universe where this was not happening to me. There were children in the bank in pushchairs, other staff and numerous customers. We all could have been hurt by the actions of this person.’
Gemma Hughes also made a statement after the robbery, saying: ‘My staff were terrified. I feel nervous for the staff and nervous opening up the branch tomorrow.’
Christoper Baker, for Jones, said he had suffered a brain injury three years ago which had caused him ‘cognitive difficulties’ and the Febreze bottle had actually contained Febreze and not acid as he claimed.
Jones, he said, had addictions to gambling and alcohol but had written letters for the staff to say that he was ‘genuinely sorry’ for what he had done,
Jones entered the NatWest in Bishop Auckland after driving his girlfriend’s red vehicle to the scene
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