Terrifying 999 Calls During Bank Robberies

Audio of "petrified" bank staff calling 999 about robberies at their stores has been released, as the armed gang who carried out the strikes were jailed for a total of 83 years.

The six men, who stole up to £1.5m over six years in targeted robberies around Merseyside and Cheshire, manhandled, threatened and injured victims as they made off with cash from banks and post offices.

CCTV also released by police shows the gang using sledgehammers to break into premises.

The men would also drop in through the ceiling after removing roof tiles, usually bursting in as staff were cashing up or preparing to open for business.

In the calls, clearly distressed bank staff can be heard describing the robbers forcing their way into the branches.

One woman, hiding from the gang, tells police that they have ordered everyone in the store to lie on the ground.

Employees said the robberies were "absolutely petrifying" in personal statements read out during the gang's sentence hearing at Liverpool Crown Court.

One victim, who worked at a Liverpool branch of Halifax, said she feared for her and her colleagues' lives during the robbery, and needed counselling after the incident.

Another employee at the same bank said she had to leave her job as she was left so traumatised by the incident.

The men were arrested on 26 November in a joint raid by Merseyside Police and Cheshire Constabulary, just two days after members of the gang made off with a large amount of cash from a bank in Hull.

All six men pleaded guilty and have been jailed for a total of 83 years and four months.

Merseyside Police detective inspector Mike Dalton said the gang "enjoyed a criminal lifestyle on the back of the misery of many decent, hard-working people who were simply doing their job".

He said: "The impact of these robberies on all the people who witnessed them cannot be underestimated ... they did not care who they harmed or what damage they caused as long as they got the money."

Another woman told police how the incident had affected the parenting of her young child, saying she felt "robbed" of what should have been a very happy time for them.

Police said they hope the conclusion of the investigation serves as a warning to others.

The sentences are as follows:

:: Ian John Stewart, aged 49, formerly of Stonegate Drive, Toxteth – 13 years

:: Kieron Anthony Whittle, aged 35, of Little Parkfield Road, Aigburth – 15 years

:: John Paul Stewart, aged 30, of Waverley Road, Aigburth – 13 years, six months

:: Alan Robert Lea, aged 38, of Verney Crescent, Toxteth – 16 years

:: Shaun James McDonald, aged 38, of Charleston Road, Toxteth – 13 years, four months

:: Gary Thomas McNeill, aged 36, formerly of Upper Pitt Street, Liverpool city centre – 12 years, six months