JAILED: Would-be bank robber handed cashier note threatening to 'shoot' unless she gave him 'all the cash'

Danny Powell queued up in the Lloyds branch in Market Street, Eckington, before handing over a folded piece of paper.

On it, he had written that he had a gun and would start shooting unless he was given “all the cash”.

However, no firearm was seen and he left the branch empty-handed a short time later, leaving his note behind.

The attempted robbery happened at about noon on March 27 – just two days after Powell committed the exact same offence at a bank in Kent.

In that robbery, he walked into a bank in Whitstable High Street, handed over the note and left with a quantity of money.

Again, no gun was seen.

Powell, 36, of no fixed address, was arrested by Kent police in June and was charged with one count of robbery and one of attempted robbery.

He pleaded guilty to both charges at Canterbury Crown and was last week jailed for a total of four-and-a-half years.

DC Simon Rogers, from Derbyshire police, said: “Powell walked into these banks with the sole intention of placing staff in extreme fear so they would give him money.

“Even though he didn’t have a gun, the staff were not to know that and the fear they must have faced cannot be overstated.

“I would like to commend them for their bravery in how they handled a situation that happened when they were just going about their work.”