A British bank robber was found guilty of armed robbery for brandishing a banana during a hold-up. That's right. he pretended to have a gun, but it was actually a banana.
Laurence Vonderdell wrapped the fruit in a grocery bag to make it look more menacing, then pointed it at a teller and demanded cash. The 50-year-old walked out of the bank with about $2,000 and then inexplicably approached two police officers and told them he had just carried out a heist. They thought he was joking and shooed him away.
Here's where the story takes a rather sad turn: Vonderdell's lawyer told the judge that he committed the robbery in the hopes of being arrested and getting a roof over his head after being evicted from his apartment. He got his wish -- in the form of a 14-month sentence.
Kind of a bummer, right? But I can't help but think there have to be other options for places to live that don't involve going to jail.
[Metro]