by Paul Hooper

A Ramsgate man robbed a bank two days before Christmas... to pay for his £10,000 dream wedding.

Kenneth Davis armed himself with a gun and held up a security guard delivering cash to a Nat West Bank in the town.

But when he discovered he had no cash he frogmarched the guard into the bank and threatened to shoot him unless he was given money.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard that after snatching thousands of pounds in the biazare heist he ran into a nearby cafe and used a stolen £20 note to order a coffee... until police overpowered him.

Now Davis, of Presedge Avenue, has been jailed for seven years after admitting robbery, attempting robbery and having an imitation firearm with criminal intent.

Prosecutor Nicholas Hall said the security guard, Stephen Fern had been delivering and collecting cash to the bank in Cecil Square, Margate.

"He had been in and out of the bank several times with his locked armoured box containing cash. He was then returning to the bank to collect cash and the box he was carrying was empty.

"It was then that Davis began shouting at him:'Open the box..open the box. Open the box. If you don't, you are dead. I am not joking.'

"Mr Fern then saw that Davis was holding a silver-coloured gun and he became worried."

The court heard that the armed gunman then began swearing and demanding the box be opened- pointing the weapon at the guard.

Mr Hall added: "It was empty and when Davis discovered that he became enraged shouting at him. He then forced the guard inside the bank and shouted at the cashiers: 'Give me some f*****g money or I will shoot him."

The prosecutor said the terrified staff then handed over more than £2,235 and Davis in his haste spilled other cash as he ran away.

"Police officvers arrived and were told that Davis had run into a nearby cafe where they found him drinking cfoffee which he had boiught with one of the £20 notes.

"As they approached him he was seen to bend over to the side of him - although they didnt know where the gun was they suspected it might be there and they over-powered him, The gun was on the seat next to him. " he said.

He said the weapon was a gas-powered weapon which can shoot ball-bearings but made to look like a real gun.

"In fact it had a defect and couldn't actually have been used to fire any missiles, " he added.

Davis, who has previous convictions for robbery including one at a post office, the court heard.

Richard Saynor, defending, said: "Davis says that this was a case of stupidity, desperation and a series of wrong choices are what brought him to court. He is a 48 year old man with mobility problems.

"He was out of trouble for 14 years before these offences. He was a heroin user which led him into committing the robberies.

"Then he met a woman and changed his life. She helped him kick his drugs habit. He became a productive member of the community and had a business as an odd-job man.

"Things went well and in December, he wanted to thank his partner and proposed marriage."

He said that Davis saved £5,000 and borrowed another £5,000 from loan sharks for the wedding - but then fell behind in his repayments when he developed an illness which has led him to lose a third of his body weight.

"He is now gaunt, withered and a shadow of his former self. Those from who he had borrowed came round and killed his cat, knocked his door down and caused him serious problems.

"He didn't know who to turn to - and he made the wrong choice to rob the bank."