Bank Staff Didn’t Realize They Were Being Robbed Because Man’s Handwriting Was So Bad

Staff at a bank in Eastborne, UK were unaware they were being robbed by 67-year-old Alan Slattery because his handwriting on the note he handed over to the tellers was completely unintelligable. He ended up leaving empty-handed, but that wasn’t the last of his attempts to steal some cash.

1. His “poor” handwriting was to blame. According to Sussex Police, Slattery entered Nationwide Building Society in Eastbourne at around 10:45 a.m. on March 18, 2021 and handed over a note meant to convey that he was robbing the joint. Unfortunately, due to his “poor” handwriting, they had no idea what he was after and he went home empty-handed.
2. After he was gone, the bank eventually decoded the note. According to Sussex Police, they were contacted after staff at the bank managed to figure out what the note 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,'” a spokesperson for the force said, as per the Eastbourne Herald. “They then rang police, who attended and seized the note and CCTV footage from inside the bank.”
3. In the meantime, Slattery tried to rob another bank. On March 26, he went to a different Nationwide Building Society branch and handed over another “threatening” note. This time, the cashier could obviously make out what it was saying because she handed over £2,400 out of fear for her safety.
4. It wasn’t long before Slattery was identified. They went to his last known address and saw him walking around the neighborhood, at which point he was arrested on suspicion of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery. “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,” the spokesperson said.
5. Slattery pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He was given a six-year extended sentence. He’ll serve four behind bars before he gets two years of probation. It seems he got off pretty easy!
6. Police have thanked those who help bring Slattery to justice. Investigating officer detective chief constable Jay Fair said in a statement: “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.”