A GRIMSBY man was allegedly the leader of a gang of masked armed bank robbers who raided two banks, tying up "terrified" staff and stealing a total of £358,755.
The gang grabbed £108,000 in one raid and £250,755 in the other – and not a single penny had been recovered.
He is accused of being part of a crew armed with weapons, including a handgun and a crowbar in one of the robberies and a handgun and a hammer in the other, a court heard.
The robbers hid in the roof area and waited for unsuspecting staff to arrive before jumping down, threatening them at gunpoint and tying them up.
Staff were bundled into a vault during the first robbery and into a back room during the other.
But a third attempted raid was "thwarted" after staff noticed a leak in the roof from slates that had been removed, the court was told.
Michael Lydon, 51, of Donnington Street, Grimsby, denies conspiring to commit bank robberies between November 1, 2013 and September 22 last year.
His stepson, Jordan Lydon, 24, of Cleethorpes, admitted the offence.
Ian West, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court that Michael Lydon was allegedly the head of a gang of bank robbers who entered into an agreement to commit armed raids on banks.
Two robberies were carried out and there was a third attempted robbery.
During one incident, two robbers broke into the RBS bank in Main Street, Hathersage, Derbyshire, through the slates on the roof on February 20 last year and hid in the loft space.
The plan was that, as soon as the staff arrived in the morning and before customers got there, the robbers would jump down through the ceiling.
They leapt through a roof hatch into a room, walked down some stairs and "burst through" a door.
One of them was armed with a silver handgun. The other had a crowbar with him.
The "terrified" bank staff were threatened at gunpoint. The bank safe and a cash machine were raided by the men, who were wearing balaclavas. Cash was put in a holdall.
They made good their escape with a haul of £108,000 in stolen cash, which had not been recovered. They left staff tied up in a vault, with their hands bound with cable.
The robbers climbed up to the roof with ladders, cut a hole in the roof, removed tiles by cutting them away and neatly stacked them.
The second planned bank raid on the RBS in Darley Dale, Derbyshire, was "thwarted" in August last year after the gang made preparations for it by making two holes in the roof area during an earlier trip.
Bank staff noticed, on August 20, before the August Bank Holiday, that there was water leaking from the area above and an investigation was carried out.
"It was found that slates in the roof had been removed," said Mr West.
"This was a robbery that was thwarted midway through. The gang had gone but it was discovered.
"That was as far as they got. That went no further."
The second successful robbery was at the TSB in Manor Street, Bridlington, on September 20, where there had also been two earlier visits to make preparations.
A security camera in the area was sprayed with black paint. The gang hid in the roof space and the robbers dropped down.
One of them was armed with a handgun, another had a hammer and they were wearing balaclavas.
Two female members of staff were "held at gunpoint" and staff were told to open a safe.
"They robbed the bank and made good their escape," said Mr West.
Staff were tied up and put inside a back room.
The raiders had a second disguise to change into after taking off the balaclavas and used this "so they wouldn't be caught".
They "dressed themselves up as builders" and were wearing a hard hat, dust masks and a high visibility jacket – carrying two bags of stolen money. The total stolen was £250,755 and none of it had been recovered.
"They had clearly taken this getaway uniform to put on," said Mr West.
Getaway drivers were used for the raids.
Jordan Lydon's role was as a getaway driver for the Bridlington robbery, said Mr West.
The gang used two cars, a white and a blue Volkswagen Golf, and switched to the second one later.
The white car was dumped in Bridlington and the robbers took a taxi back to the Grimsby area.
Jordan Lydon went to a festival but, the next day, the blue car was driven from the Grimsby area back to Bridlington and the white car before returning. Michael Lydon was said to be driving the blue car.
A can of the black paint used to paint over the security camera in Bridlington was found in the boot of the blue car when Michael Lydon was arrested, the court was told.
A route plan from Grimsby to Bridlington was later found by police.
Jordan Lydon had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and this allegedly proved that there must have been an arrangement, otherwise he would not have done so, said Mr West.
Telephone evidence from mobile phones allegedly linked the pair to the incidents.
Another person was also involved but the prosecution did not know who it was, he added.
It was not in dispute that the bank raids took place but the jury would have to decide whether Michael Lydon was involved in the preparations, said Mr West.
The trial continues. It is due to last into next week.
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