A
knifeman, who threatened bank staff with a blade during a £2,000
raid, has been jailed for three years.
Zhoa
Wan, 29, of Sigrist Square, Kingston-upon-Thames brandished the large
kitchen knife as he fled, telling a member of staff: “Get out of my
way.”
He
pleaded guilty to robbing the bank in High Street, Hounslow on
February 12.
Kingston-upon-Thames
Crown Court heard it was 11am when Wan entered the branch
He
initially told staff he was waiting for someone, but he then
approached two cashiers, produced the knife and told staff to give
him the money.
The
staff handed over nearly £2,000, which Wan placed in a black bag he
had been carrying.
As
he left, the cashiers told a member of staff in the bank’s public
area what had happened.
This
member of staff began to approach Wan, but he held the knife out in
front of him, shouted the order, and escaped.
Police
were called and officers from the Flying Squad began an
investigation.
A
review of CCTV was made and an image recovered of the suspect smoking
a cigarette.
The
cigarette stub was found by police and the DNA on it was matched to
Wan.
Other
CCTV enabled police to find the guest house where Wan had been
staying prior to the robbery.
All
this information enabled detectives to identify Wan as the suspect.
Wan
became aware that he was sought by police and on Saturday, February
22 he surrendered himself at Hounslow police station, where he was
arrested and later charged.
Detective
Constable Alex George, of the Flying Squad, said: “This was a
frightening ordeal for the members of staff who were threatened with
a knife for Wan’s financial gain.
Our
investigation quickly identified Wan as the person responsible.
His
prison sentence should be a warning; if you commit violent crime the
consequences are severe."
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