Matthew Nutley sentenced for Ashford bank robbery
26/11/2010
A man who threatened hostages at the Ashford branch of Barclays bank with a hoax bomb and imitation firearm was sentenced today at Guildford Crown Court.
District Crown Prosecutor Andrew Stephens described the robbery as alarming and terrifying for the victims
Matthew Richard Nutley was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence for public protection and must serve at least seven years before being considered for parole. He had pleaded guilty to all six charges at an earlier hearing on 22nd October.
On 28th June this year Nutley entered the Ashford branch of Barclays Bank dressed in a white paper suit with a hood and a mask. He shouted at customers to get down on the floor. They believed him to be holding a black rifle or a shotgun.
He ordered one of the bank staff to spray the windows and CCTV cameras in an attempt to black them out and told the Bank Manager to hold a device, which he said contained semtex and TNT attached to a dead mans switch. Nutley told the Manager that it would explode if he let go of the trigger.
The remaining hostages - a mixture of bank staff and customers, were tied up with cable ties. Nutley demanded £800,000 from the bank manager and repeated his demands for the remaining £757,000 when the manager returned with only £43,000.
Gradually all hostages apart from three were released whilst he waited for the Police to meet his demands. Eventually the remaining victims escaped.
Speaking after the sentencing Andrew Stephens said:
"All of Nutleys actions were thought through to prevent the police tracking events back to him. He set out from home that day fully intending to buy his robbery kit. He used his partners debit card and bought the items in an area distant from the bank he had selected.
"The victims have been through a terrifying ordeal, he intimidated them both verbally and physically. Their evidence and the quality of the Police investigation enabled us to build a thorough case against Matthew Nutley which left him with no alternative but to plead guilty. At least the victims are spared reliving their experiences at trial."
