Hartlepool bank staff thought they were going to die during frightening £15,000 armed robbery

Gavin Wilson, 42, who was wearing camouflage clothing, a home-made balaclava and carrying an imitation Browning pistol, got away with £15,000 in cash from Barclays bank in York Road, Hartlepool, just after 10am on Friday, June 12.

Teesside Crown Court heard accounts from some of the staff who were present who feared they may be shot and killed.

The court heard Wilson, described as a ‘persistent robber’ committed the crime after getting into debt following his mother’s funeral and gambling.

He is facing a lengthy prison stretch but the judge adjourned sentencing for four weeks to allow Wilson to help police recover the money which still missing.

Describing the robbery, prosecutor Robin Patton said: “He walked in wearing the mask and brandishing a pistol.

"He ordered people in the premises to get to the ground. It’s quite plain that he was in fact pointing the gun at people’s heads as he marched around the bank giving orders to people.”

He told a female member of staff to fill his bag with £20 and £50 notes.

She said in a statement: “He was three meters away then right at my till. My first thought was ‘God, my daughter, what if anything happened to me’.

"I did what he said.”

She ‘completely fell to pieces’ 15 minutes later.

Mr Patton added: “Another employee said she was very frightened and thought she was going to die."

Wilson left in a friend’s car who had innocently given him a lift, but CCTV of the car’s movements led to Wilson being arrested in Sinclair Road later the same day.

He has several previous robberies on his record for which he has been jailed.

Describing the funeral costs Wilson incurred, Martin Scarborough, defending, said: “He tells me he began gambling to try to repay that money.

“He got into more debt.”

Wilson, of Pinero Grove, Hartlepool, previously admitted robbery, possessing an imitation firearm and possession of cocaine.

Adjourning sentence, Judge Howard Crowson said: “When this sort of amount of money goes missing we like to recover it if we can.

"It could have an impact on how you are sentenced.”

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