Crosland Moor man jailed for GBH on bank manager

May 22 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A CROSLAND Moor man has been jailed for punching a bank manager in the face.

Robert Lee, 22, of Balmoral Avenue, has been jailed for three years after admitting causing grievous bodily harm to Peter Hart.

Mr Hart was seriously injured in the attack at Lloyds TSB in Bradford city centre last September.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how Lee had gone into the branch to withdraw some of his wages from his girlfriend’s account.

Cautious staff refused to process his request and prosecutor Dave Mackay said Lee became increasingly irate and manager Peter Hart told him he could not speak to his staff in that way.

Lee was said to have shouted at Mr Hart: “Come outside and I’ll slit your f****** throat.”

Mr Mackay said Lee refused to leave until he was told the police had been called and, as he did so, Mr Hart followed him and told him not to return.

“Lee turned round, walked back to Mr Hart and punched him once in the face knocking him to the floor” said Mr Mackay.

Mr Hart was taken to hospital where he was found to have suffered a fracture in the area around his left eye socket, a badly bruised left eye with some bleeding into the eye and a cut under the eyelid, which needed three or four stitches.

When Lee was arrested a couple of weeks after the attack, he was found to have a knife with a five-inch blade in his jacket pocket.