A WINDOW cleaner who coolly foiled a gun-toting bank raider has been praised by a judge.
And the bravery of father-of-two James Rowley and his colleague has resulted in them being given a financial award.
Mr Rowley, 34, of Caterham, had just popped into the bank after work when he came face-to-face with the crash helmet wearing gunman.
He scornfully swore at the would-be robber who fled the bank.
Not finished there, Mr Rowley grabbed a fire extinguisher from the building and hurled it at the gunman, knocking him from his getaway bike.
But that was not the end of the drama.
The raider then turned on Mr Rowley, hitting him to the ground with his crash helmet.
The window cleaner's colleague Daniel Sandholm then stepped in, chasing the raider and holding onto him until police arrived.
Andrew Fernandez, 47, of no fixed abode, was jailed for life on May 19, after he admitted attempting to rob the Coulsdon bank and robbing two others – one in Watford and the other in Mill Hill – last year. He had been charged with one count of attempted robbery, two counts of robbery, and three counts of possessing an imitation firearm.
On each occasion he used a plastic imitation gun as a pretend weapon and a pedal bicycle as his getaway vehicle.
He had previously been convicted of robbery in 1986 and 1995, the court heard.
Prosecuting at Kingston Crown Court, Nathan Rasiah said Fernandez walked into Lloyds Bank, in Brighton Road, Coulsdon, on November 27 and pointed a weapon – which turned out to be fake – at a female bank clerk.
Mr Rasiah told the court: "Fernandez said 'I am going to start shooting, I will start shooting through the glass'.
"Mr Rowley replied '**** off you *****, it is a fake gun anyway, it is plastic'."
Judge Fergus Mitchell ordered the window cleaners be paid £1,200 from the public purse in recognition of their efforts.
The judge added: "I am going to make an award for their courage in relation to their bravery.
"It's impressive behaviour on both their parts in detaining this man."
Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Rowley said he was shocked to discover the man he confronted had such a chequered past.
The window cleaner added he was "really happy" at the financial reward given by the judge, and at the tough sentence meted out to Fernandez.
