Daily Mail
March 10, 2014
An armed robber was caught after he dropped his gun and took off his balaclava to pick it up after attempting to hold up a London betting shop.
It was as if the dozy robber had directly copied the move from Guy Ritchie’s comedy ‘Snatch’ where two robbers remove their masks immediately after a flopped raid at a bookmakers.
Derek Rossi, 58, tried to hold up the Ladbrokes in Holborn with a sawn-off shotgun hidden in an umbrella.
He carried out the attempted burglary at 8am on Monday November 4 last year at the betting shop located in the busy business area.
When staff could not open the safe, Rossi fled the betting shop empty handed and then accidentally fired his antique shotgun.
He then dropped the gun in the street during the raid and took off his balaclava to pick it up – before trying to flee on a bike.
The Ladbrokes is located just metres from Holborn underground station and on a busy commercial road next to outlets such as Subway and Boots.
When Rossi removed the balaclava, his face was seen by dozens of witnesses and Rossi, of Finsbury Park, north London, was arrested.
Rossi was charged with attempted robbery and weapons offences, and pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court last Thursday.