Armed robber targets woman

Nov 29 2007 by Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

A WOMAN was threatened at gun-point by a hooded robber as she left a bank.

The 53-year-old victim had just visited the Lloyds TSB bank on Durham Road in Birtley when she was approached by the mugger.

Just moments before, she had parked her car in Station Lane, while she visited the bank at 12.25pm.

But as she returned to her vehicle, the youth approached her and demanded her handbag.

He then produced what police believe to be a handgun and threatened her once again.

His victim refused his demands and eventually managed to run back inside the bank, where she was comforted by staff until the arrival of officers.

She was shaken and upset following the incident but unhurt. The man fled empty-handed.

The victim was too upset to talk to The Journal, but people working and living in that area of Gateshead yesterday said they were unsurprised by the incident.

Grandmother Mary Armstrong told how she felt increasingly scared on the streets around her home.

The 53-year-old said: “I didn’t see the robbery, but there were police cars everywhere. There were at least three vans, as well as a dog van parked further up the road.

“There was also a police helicopter overhead. People in the street have been talking about what happened.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all. Things are getting worse around here.

“It certainly isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

A woman who works in a business opposite the bank, but preferred not to be named, added: “None of us saw anything until all the police cars arrived. There were police officers everywhere and they came round all the businesses to see if we had seen anything. It’s definitely getting worse around here.”

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “As this woman returned to her car, a man appeared and demanded her handbag.

“The woman refused and the man then produced what appeared to be a small black handgun.

“After he made further demands, she ran back into the bank and the robber fled empty-handed. She was left shaken, but unhurt.”

The robber was about 17 years old, 5ft 7in, skinny with a pale, clean-shaven face.

He was wearing a grey top with the hood pulled over his face.

A man arrested after the incident has now been bailed pending further inquiries.

No-one from Lloyds TSB was available for comment.