A BUNGLING bank robber who downloaded "how to rob a bank" guides before striking at a Black Country bank is now starting an 11 year sentence after making schoolboy errors which led to his capture.

Gregory Dike − a 38-year-old from London − had no previous criminal convictions but at the start of last year hatched a plan to carry out a string of armed heists.

The rookie crook downloaded online crime guides including one entitled simply "How to Rob a Bank" and another on the "Two Minute Rule" − the maximum time thieves reckon they can spend at a job before police arrive.

He put his research into action for the first time on 10 March when he threatened two female cashiers at Betfred in Swarcliffe Parade, Leeds, with a realistic-looking imitation gun and escaped with £175.

Three days later he fluffed an attempt to hold-up a branch of Barclays in West Derby village, Liverpool, but the next morning got away with £1,000 from a Lloyds in nearby Tuebrook after putting the gun to a customer’s head.

On 24 March Dike − dressed in a smart suit and crash helmet − bagged £4,300 from a Lloyds in Ickenham, Middlesex, but came unstuck on April 17 when fleeing with £1,000 from NatWest in High Street, Rowley Regis, after pulling a hunting knife on a customer.

A brave member of the public gave chase, asked a passer-by to dial 999 and followed Dike, from Alric Avenue near Brent Park, to a taxi he’d ordered to wait in a back street.

Dike ran into nearby gardens − the cabbie refusing to move on realising he was being used as a getaway driver − and emerged minutes later minus his boiler suit.

He tried car-jacking two motorists, including a pensioner dragged from his vehicle, but was quickly wrestled to the ground by two West Midlands Police officers who’d been scrambled to the scene.

Dike’s holdall was found to contain his boiler suit, crash helmet, handcuffs, hunting knife, and two smoke bombs.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court today (30 Jan) unemployed Dike was jailed having admitted four robberies, an attempted robbery, and firearms offences. He was given a 17-year sentence which was reduced to 11 due his early guilty plea.

Detective Constable Darren Brown, said: "It’s unclear what led a man, who was seemingly of good character for 38 years, to suddenly carry out such violent robberies.

"He was undoubtedly a beginner − we found robbery ‘self-help’ downloads on his phone − but he’d done a lot of research and made efforts to cover his tracks. He used various aliases when booking hotels and taxis and struck across the country in the hope it would be difficult for police forces to make links.

"Crucially, though, we found a hotel room key card in his holdall which we traced to a B&B in Acocks Green − and when we asked if any male guests had left abruptly, a receptionist handed over a bag that housekeeping had found in Dike’s room.

"A key found on Dike opened the bag’s small padlock and inside we found the BB gun used during three of the robberies, plus his driver’s licence and home address details in London."

A search of the address uncovered a balaclava worn during the BetFred attack, bus tickets for Leeds and a diary containing the name ‘Mark French’ which he’d used to book a hotel and taxi in Yorkshire.

Craig Common − the man who followed Dike from the Rowley Regis bank − has since been given a Good Citizen’s Award by West Midlands Police in recognition of his actions.

And West Midlands Police Sergeants Craig Rolinson and James Lewis have both been awarded Chief Constables Commendations − the force’s highest honour − for bravely tackling Dike after the 11.30am raid.