What a pilchard - robber holds up bookies brandishing tin of FISH he claimed was bomb
IN what could potentially be Britain's worst ever attempt at robbery, a man attempted to hold up a bookmaker's shop with a TIN OF PILCHARDS.
Desperate to pay back £1,800 he owed to a friend, Rory Seager, of Ilford, Essex, gambled his last pennies away on roulette machines in a vain bid to win back his money.
But when the 18-year-old had no luck, he took drastic action.
He apparently believed his best weapon for the raid was a tin of fish in tomato sauce costing 99p from his local corner shop.
Seager burst into the William Hill shop in Ilford and demanded the shopkeeper hand over cash.
He told cashier Adeyemi Awomudu "I've got a bomb", clearly hoping his fishy threat would scare him into compliance.
But the shop assistant simply walked away into a secure area of the store.
Frustrated that his masterplan had failed, Seager threw the snack across the shop before leaving.
The ridiculous robber was later arrested and admitted attempted robbery and one count of communicating false information about a bomb hoax.
Prosecutor Edward Franklin told Snaresbrook Crown Court: "In respect of the bomb hoax, this wasn't a classic bomb hoax in that the security services weren't alerted and there's no evidence that any action was taken by the authorities.
"Both my learned friend and I agree that this is beast dealt with as an attempted robbery – you can say you have a knife or a gun, in this case it was a tin of pilchards masquerading as a bomb."
This wasn't a classic bomb hoax in that the security services weren't alerted and there's no evidence that any action was taken by the authorities
Caroline Carberry, defending, said that Segaer has Tourette's syndrome and was suffering from diagnosed but untreated depression and psychosis at the time.
She added: "These are serious offences and I accept the custody threshold has been passed, and normally these types of offences would merit an immediate sentence of imprisonment.
"This was entirely out of character, this was an aberration in this young man's life."
Judge Karl King told Seager: "You are young man suffering from a number of psychological conditions that had gone untreated, but you had got to the age of 18 without having descended into criminal activity.
"The disorders from which you suffered were long standing disorders and one can only commend members of your family for being able to cope for so long.
"It is in that context I have to decide how I want to deal with you, I'm satisfied that the custody threshold has been passed – what I am about to do is exceptional and does not reduce the gravity of your offence you committed."
He handed Seager a suspended sentence of two years, as well as a two-year supervision order.
He was also ordered to undergo mental health treatment, banned from any betting shops for 12 months and told to pay £100 surcharge.
