Two men who executed a “carefully planned” armed robbery at a leyland bank have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Darren Hope, 33, of Maple Crescent, Leigh, and Justin Hulme, 27, of Norbury Street, also Leigh, pleaded guilty to their involvement in the “terrifying” raid at the Lloyds TSB branch in Hough Lane, Leyland, when two masked men burst into the bank as a cash delivery was being made, brandishing an imitation firearm and a sledgehammer.
They threatened a G4S worker and staff in the bank, stealing more than £48,000 from the bank’s safe and from the cash delivery.
The two men then ran to a black Ford Mondeo which had been stolen several days before.
During the getaway a police car started a pursuit.
The court heard the getaway car stopped on another road nearby and a man with a sledgehammer got out, “calmly” walked over to the police car and smashed the windscreen and another window before taking the keys and “sauntering” back to the getaway car.
The Mondeo was eventually recovered in a park in Standish.
Both men pleaded guilty before Preston Crown Court of the robbery, which happened at just after 9.15am on May 23 last year, and a second count of possession of an imitation firearm.
Two other charges were ordered to lie on the file.
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