Kansas pensioner robs bank after deciding he'd rather be in jail than live with wife

A pensioner has admitted to robbing a bank in Kansas after deciding he would rather be in jail than be at home with his wife.

Lawrence Ripple, 70, appeared at the US District Court to plead guilty to robbing a Bank of Labor branch in Kansas City on 2 September.

During the robbery, Ripple handed the teller a note with the words "I have a gun, hand me money" written on it.

After the teller gave him £2,924 (£2,344), Ripple then sat in the bank lobby and waited for officers to arrive.

The bank in question is just a block away from the nearby police station, reported Kansas City.com.

Following his arrest, Ripple told officers during questioning he and his wife had an argument at home and he no longer wanted to be in the situation," according to the police complaint.

It added: "Ripple wrote out his demand note in front of his wife Remedios Ripple and told her he'd rather be in jail than at home. Ripple then walked to the bank and robbed it."

A judge is still to decide a sentencing date for Ripple, with both prosecutors and the defence free to argue what they thinks should be an appropriate sentence.