| "If there was ever a bungling, amateurish attempt at armed robbery, this must be it," stated Judge James Chadwin as he sentanced 25-year-old Alan Mares to ten years in jail at Newcastle Crown Court in March 1998. Mares' first cock-up came when, on a blistering summer day, pedestrians reported seeing him and two accomplices looking suspitious outside a city centre travel agency. They were wearing big overcoats and shirts with the collars up despite the fact it was a swelteringly hot summers day. One witness said see saw a bulge, like that of a gun, jutting out from under one of the coats. Aware of the attention they were getting,the three men bottled it, only to return three hours later and mistakenly stormed into the optitions next door, one of the men shouted, "Thats not it!" before leaving the store. Once in the travel agent's they demanded £30,000 in forign currency but, bottled it again, ran away having secured only a jar full of forign coins the agency had been saving for charity. Finally they sped away, the gang's getaway car ran out of petroland ares was arrested. |
