Did you have bad handwriting in school?
A man's plan to rob a bank was scuppered by his own handwriting.
Alan Slattery, 67, visited not one, not two, but three banks- using the same note and still managed to walk away empty handed.
The Sun report that he handed a threatening note to bank staff in Hastings- but they couldn't understand what it said.
However, he left without a penny after staff were unable to decipher the handwritten note.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said:
"Staff at the bank later managed to read the note, which said, 'Your screen won't stop what I've got, just hand over the 10s and the 20s. Think about the other customers.'
"They then rang police, who attended and seized the note and CCTV footage from inside the bank."
"A search of his address found some sticky labels identical to the label that had been handed to staff at NatWest bank, and a jacket that matched that of the man seen in CCTV from NatWest.
Slattery pleaded guilty to all three offences and was given a six-year extended sentence, meaning he will serve four years in jail and two on licence.
Detective Constable Jay Fair spoke after the sentencing, saying:
"These incidents caused fear and distress to both the employees working in the banks, and to the wider public.
"I'd like to thank all the victims and witnesses who supported our investigation, and I'm pleased to see the severity of the offences reflected in the sentence handed out by the court."
