Banana bank hold-up: Man jailed for robbing Barclays Bank with fruit

A man who robbed a branch of Barclays Bank armed with a banana has been jailed for 14 months.

Dorset Police said Laurence Vonderdell pointed the fruit, covered in a plastic bag, at a cashier in the branch in Bournemouth and demanded cash.

He escaped with £1,100 in cash and handed himself in shortly afterwards.

Vonderdell admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm at an earlier hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Police said Vonderdell, of Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, entered the bank and approached one of the tills on the morning of 25 March.

He told the female cashier: "This is a stick up, give me the cash," before walking out of the branch.

Det Con Andy Hale said: "Even though the defendant handed himself in shortly after this incident and the cash was recovered, this must still have been a very distressing incident for the cashier involved."