Man smashed Peterborough bank with axe

A man who used an axe to smash up a bank in Peterborough city centre has been given a suspended sentence.

Police officers were dispatched to Barclays Bank in Cathedral Square after multiple calls were made around 6.30am on 6 March reporting a man damaging the building.

When officers arrived, they found the entire glass front had been smashed, as well as nine cash machines, a glass balustrade and the customer desk inside the branch, with an axe embedded in a table.

Darren Wyer, 43, who was found sat inside the bank listening to music through a speaker, was arrested and later charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely an axe, and criminal damage of an unknown value to Barclays Bank.

Wyer, of Reeves Way, Eastfield, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (13 June), where he was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and required to complete a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) after admitting both offences.

PC Philip Plume, who investigated, said: “The brazen actions of Wyer show that he had no regard for the impact this would have on both the staff and the wider community who were deeply concerned by his behaviour.

“Thankfully, we were able to respond quickly to locate and arrest Wyer before any more damage or harm could be done.”