Judge jails 'unlucky' bank raider

A MAN who became a bank robber after 23 years of bad luck, was yesterday jailed for seven years after a Crown Court judge admitted his past was 'tragic'.

Aylesbury Crown Court in Buckinghamshire was told that the robberies by William Goehring, a diabetic, followed a series of disasters, including four failed businesses, being made redundant three times (twice after his employers were exposed on the That's Life television programme), losing money on commissioned jobs, a failed marriage, and the deaths of his parents.

Goehring, 45, of Chipping Camden, Gloucestershire, stole pounds 13,475 in the course of seven successful and three failed raids.

Piers Reed, for the defence, told the judge that his client had acted in desperation and said that the gun he used was never loaded.

His house was about to be repossessed, his gas had been cut off and he owed thousands of pounds to various people.

Goehring pleaded guilty to four charges of robbery and four charges of having a firearm with intent. He asked for six further robberies, three of them successful, to be considered.

Passing sentence, Judge Slack said that he suspected Goehring had felt 'almost grateful' when he was caught.