A DRUNK who laid siege to a Hampshire bank after threatening to shoot staff has avoided jail despite having done the same thing at a different bank 12 months earlier.

Armed police evacuated nearby pubs and cordoned off an area around Barclays Bank on Fareham's High Street for two hours after David Michael Crisp forced his way in on a Friday night in February.

He told two men refurbishing the branch that he had a gun and that he would shoot them if they tried to stop him.

During the ensuing drama he also threatened to kill himself and threw a fire extinguisher from an upstairs window, damaging a car below.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that after an entire afternoon of drinking, Crisp was upset at being refused entry into a town centre pub, and that a cash machine had swallowed his debit card. Although he has never fully been able to explain his actions, it is thought that he hoped to retrieve his bank card by breaking in.

When officers finally arrested him they found no trace of a gun.

Last chance The incident came less than a year after Crisp, of Hardy Close, Gosport, broke into a branch of Lloyds TSB on the same road, again claiming to have a firearm and causing criminal damage.

Yesterday a judge allowed him to walk free for a second time, telling him that this was his last chance.

Recorder Jeremy Wright sentenced Crisp to nine months in prison after the 32-year-old admitted affray, and four months each for two counts of causing criminal damage. All the terms were, though, suspended for 12 months.

Passing sentence, Mr Wright told Crisp that he was giving him one last chance because of the efforts he has since made to turn his life around.

This included an offer of employment and twice-weekly Alcoholics Anonymous sessions.

"This was a very serious incident," said Mr Wright.

"You forced your way into a bank, pretending to have a gun. Not everyone believed you, but at least one person was seriously scared as a result of what you did.

"You have problems that you really cannot rely on any longer as an excuse for this behaviour, as I'm sure you now know."

Crisp was told that he must attend further treatment for his alcoholism, and was subjected to an 18-month curfew, meaning that he can only leave his home in the evenings to attend AA sessions.