PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE

A DOZY robber was nicked while scoffing a chicken dinner at a restaurant he held up at gunpoint 20 minutes earlier.

The 38-year-old is accused of stealing several hundred pounds after waving an airgun at terrified staff.

But he then sniffed the tasty aromas at the Southern Fried Chicken branch and demanded: "Give me one of those Hunga Busta Meals too."

He sat down to eat the meal and was still tucking in when armed cops alerted by staff burst into the diner in Colchester, Essex.

An Essex police source said: "We've come across some stupid criminals in our time but this beats all. Normal practice is to grab the cash and run. But this man was obviously controlled by his belly rather than his brain.

"After running in with a hoodie and scarf hiding his face, he took them both off to stuff his face with chicken.

"The staff he'd just waved a gun at were gobsmacked.

"He sat there eating for 20 minutes so they had tons of time to dial 999.

"Staff thought it was a bizarre TV stunt. It just goes to show, you shouldn't carry out a heist on an empty stomach."

The man, a double glazing salesman who cannot be named, is charged with possessing a weapon in a public place, theft and using threatening behaviour in a public place.

He has been bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 4. A CPS spokeswoman yesterday confirmed a man had been charged over the hold-up.