Here’s a good reason to pay attention in class, children. If you ever want to rob a bank, bad spelling can lead to your arrest! As the Times of Israel reports:
Sloppy spelling ain’t no crime, but for one hapless would-be Israeli bank robber, a revealing typo recently proved to be his undoing, landing him (back) behind lock and key.
Leonid Dmitryenko recently entered a post office (which in Israel also offers banking services) in the coastal city of Ashdod and slipped the clerk a note, Channel 10 television reported on Wednesday.
“This is a robbery. Giv [sic] me 20,000 shekels or I will throw a grenade,” the note read.
The clerk was uncowed by the threat, the TV report said, prompting Dmitryenko to flee the scene empty-handed. Footage aired by the station shows a disgruntled man in a baseball cap, who was apparently unarmed, walking away from the counter.
When investigators arrived minutes later, it was the typo and formulation of the letter, rather than any security camera footage or forensic evidence that quickly led them to their suspect.
Back at the police station, they dug up a note used three years earlier under similar circumstances: “This is a robbery. Giv me 30,000 shekels now or I will stab someone here.”
Dmitryenko has served a three-year prison sentence for the previous robbery, the TV report said. He was arrested and remains in police custody pending charges.
Another reason to pay attention in class: if you ever decide to become a journalist, you may report incorrectly otherwise.
Here is a photo of the note Dmityenko handed to the clerk:
Clearly, it was written in Hebrew, not English. The incorrectly spelled word was תביא (“bring”), which he spelled as תבי, without the last letter. But that does not mean the translation would be “giv” without the “e,” or “brin” without the “g”.
That’s just dumb – although clearly not as dumb as this robber.
