A HAPLESS thief was left trapped in a pub cellar after falling through an open trapdoor at the conclusion of a comical attempt to rob a security guard.

Bungling Stanley Bell held up the guard at gunpoint - but missed thousands of pounds in notes to flee with a bag of 2p coins.

Bell, 42, threw his haul of only £40 into nearby bushes in disgust.

But his bad luck continued as he tried to run away when he fell through the open trapdoor into the pub cellar - where police found him trapped.

Moments before Bell confronted security guard David Bennett, the experienced Securicor worker had carried five alarmed and smoke bomb protected boxes, stuffed with notes, into the HSBC bank, in Fowler Street, South Shields, South Tyneside, on June 17.

But by the time Bell, armed with an imitation firearm, told him, "Give me the money or I will shoot you", Mr Bennett had only bags of 1p and 2p coins with him.

Newcastle Crown Court heard yesterday that Bell had been on police bail at the time of the raid, after he was caught carrying a kitchen knife in Napier Street, South Shields, days earlier.

Bell, who was homeless after his wife threw him out, admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent.

He also admitted possessing an offensive weapon in relation to the kitchen knife.

Judge David Hodson said he accepted Bell was not a "sophisticated" criminal.

Paul Caulfield, for Bell, said he had been looking for ways to get money to pay for somewhere to stay, but had no particular plan.

The judge jailed Bell for five years.