Man who threatened bank spared jail as judge understood frustrations of internet banking
Dean Prescott was handed a suspended sentence over the ‘fairly pathetic threat’ (Picture: Cavendish/Reuters)

A man who threatened to blow up Lloyds in a rage at not being able to get into his account was spared jail after the judge accepted frustration with online banking is a ‘daily occurrence’.

Dean Prescott, 44, lost his temper when he couldn’t check his balance and phoned 999 to rant at the operator: ‘I want the bomb squad – I’m going to blow the f**king Lloyds Bank up tomorrow.’

The call handler quickly pinpointed his location and four officers were sent to his home in Hindley, near Wigan, Greater Manchester, on July 21 last year.

When they confronted Prescott, who had been drinking heavily and taking anti-anxiety medication, he told them he had been ‘a bit stupid’ and was simply ‘letting off steam’.

Prescott admitted sending a malicious communication at Bolton Crown Court.

He faced up to two years in prison but was handed an eight-month sentence which was suspended for 18 months.

Judge Thomas Gilbart told him: ‘Frustration at internet banking is perhaps a daily occurrence for many people but this was a grossly disproportionate response.

‘However, it was an unsophisticated piece of offending which was easily detected.’

Dean Prescott a man who rang 999 and threatened to blow up his bank in a fit of rage over non-access to his online account. He has been spared jail after a judge accepted frustration with internet banking was a ''daily occurrence'' to many customers.Disclaimer: While Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd uses its' best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied. The publication of images is solely at your discretion. For terms and conditions see http://www.cavendish-press.co.uk/pages/terms-and-conditions.aspx
Dean Prescott admitted sending a malicious communication (Picture: Dean Prescott/Cavendish Press)

He added: ‘You also express your remorse for what you did, and I am satisfied that remorse is genuine. The view of the probation services is you pose a pose a medium risk of harm and those risks can be managed in the community.

‘You said your behaviour was a “bit stupid” but it was a great deal more than that and it was a very serious thing to do.

‘However, it cannot be said to have been a major cause of disruption or caused substantial distress although four officers were called out which was a needless inconvenience for the emergency services who have better things to do.

‘A custodial sentence is normally required in cases such as this, however in this case you made a fairly pathetic threat to set off a bomb.

‘There is no evidence of any impact other than the police intervention and you admitted what you did immediately and expressed regret and remorse.’

Defending, Thomas Wood told the court Prescott had mental health problems.

He said: ‘The incident was short in duration and no bank branch was specified at the time and although alcohol was suspected he had in fact been taking Pregabalin.

‘The incident is heavily mitigated by his state of mind at the time. He was simply frustrated with internet banking and not being able to log in. He is genuinely remorseful for what he has done.’

Prescott will also have to complete 15 days of Rehabilitation Activity and a six-month mental health treatment programme.

The case comes after the Financial Services Ombudsman (FOS) said it receives about 150 to 200 complaints every three months about online banking services, most of them about system outages and IT failures.

At the same time, high street banks are increasingly shutting the doors to their physical branches, leaving customers with no other option but to persist with online banking.

The court heard Prescott’s local branch of Lloyds shut down in 2019, leaving his nearest branch three miles away in Westhoughton, near Bolton.

Last November TSB, which was formerly part of the Lloyds Bank, was fined £48.7m by the City regulator for a computer meltdown in 2018 that locked millions of customers out of their accounts for weeks.

At the time, the FOS was flooded with more than 5,700 complaints as customers were left unable to pay the bills or run businesses.

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