Story Archive

Ignoring All the Signs II

Gemma Hughes, manager of a County Durham, England, bank branch, noticed a man standing in line. He was quite noticeable considering he was wearing latex gloves, a pulled up hoodie, a face mask, and dark glasses. Concerned, Hughes approached the man asked if she could help him, and the man said no. So ... she left him alone. The man, later identified as Simon Jones, 38, finally got to the front of the line, approached a cashier, told her he had acid and a bomb, and demanded cash. He escaped with 370 pounds (US$470), but was eventually arrested, and confessed. Jones was jailed for 40 months. During the trial, the judge asked why Hughes didn’t do more. “The manager was concerned he might have had a skin condition because he waited patiently in the queue,” the prosecutor said. “She treaded a careful line between upsetting someone who might have had to wear such things to protect their skin, or have a nasty motive for wearing such a disguise.” (MS/London Telegraph) ...What was thicker: that line, or the manager’s skull?