JAILED: Homeless man carried out armed bank robberies for cash to sleep in hotel

Toolmaker James Keay robbed two Royal Bank of Scotland branches while armed with an axe and hammer.

The 41-year-old, who is originally from Walsall and lived in Wolverhampton for a while, had been living rough in a tent and wanted the comfort of a hotel room. He had no previous convictions before the robberies and fell on hard times after being made redundant.

Keay pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two charges of robbery, one of possessing an imitation firearm, and two of having offensive weapons.

He was jailed for five years and four months after being given credit for his early pleas – and was also ordered to pay total of £1,020 in court charges.

Prosecuting, Mr Graeme Simpson said that on October 8 Michelle Hurst was the only cashier on duty in the RBoS branch in Rugby town centre when Keay came in and approached her counter.

He had an axe in one hand, and in the other was a hammer concealed in a scrunched-up carrier bag which he pointed at her, threatening: "I've got a gun. I want all the money."

In shock and disbelief, Ms Hurst shook her head and replied: "I'm sorry?"

Keay raised the axe and told her: "I've got a gun, and if you don't give me the money I'll break down the screen with this."

Believing he did have a gun and might use it, the cashier removed all the banknotes from the till and passed them to him.

But her training kicked in, and she remained calm enough to also pass him a bundle of 'raid notes' – a wad of notes with a capsule of red dye in the middle which is activated when the bundle is opened.

Having got a total of £4,374 Keay left the bank, leaving the axe, which he had stolen from a shop earlier that day, behind.

Shortly afterwards, a member of the public came across the carrier bag in an alleyway – with the bag and the banknotes inside covered in the red dye from the raid notes.

Having ended up with just £4 in coins for his efforts, Keay next targeted the RBoS branch in Nuneaton four days later.

After waiting until it was quiet in the bank, he went in and, when lone cashier Michelle O'Hara asked if she could help, he produced another axe from a carrier bag and ordered her to put the cash into the bag.

Ms O'Hara did as she was told – but she also included a wad of raid notes among the £3,650 she handed over, and pressed the alarm as he left with his haul.

Keay still had the bag with much of the cash in it when he was arrested in Nuneaton town centre just minutes later, and he took officers to the wheelie bin when he had put the axe.

Mr Mohammed Hafeez, defending, said it was 'an unusual case' in that Keay had no previous convictions and fell on hard times after being made redundant from a factory in Wolverhampton in 2004.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told Keay: "This is a very, very unfortunate day for you, but it was much more unfortunate for those you chose to attack, because robbery is an attack.

"This was pre-planned, and you waited outside for your moments. But I take account of the fact that you, a 41-year-old man, had become homeless and were desperate for money.

"The two bank employees went to work on those two days expecting to have an ordinary day at work. They had anything but that.

"But they have been admirably trained to remain calm when faced with an utterly terrifying ordeal. Both women should be commended for the considerable bravery they showed in very frightening circumstances.

"It was, by both of those woman, a model response when faced by a terrifying ordeal," he added, ordering a transcript of his remarks to be sent to the managing director of the RBoS.