Killed robber 'was deaf'

An armed robber shot dead by police after a bank raid was deaf and may not have heard warnings to give up his gun, his stepson claimed yesterday.

David Stone, 35, of Upper Holloway, north London, died last Friday when a marksman shot him through the forehead.

Lee Smith, 19, said his stepfather lost his hearing while fighting as a mercenary. 'If he had heard them he would have given his gun up,' he said.