'We All Have Choices' Judge Says Upon Sentencing Bank Robber

He said he did it for his mother, but the judge couldn't overlook a long criminal background and the impact on the victims when sentencing a New York man to 20 years for robbing a bank in Milford.

The 44-year-old Bronx man reportedly fell 10 feet into the Milford Harbor when attempting to evade arrest following the March 2011 Webster Bank robbery. The man, Mark Henderson, was briefly hospitalized for his injuries before being arrested.

He was sentenced on Tuesday, according to an article on the New Haven Register's website.

Milford Police stated previously that Henderson entered the bank wearing a mask and was in possession of a weapon when he demanded money from employees of the Broad Street bank. 

“That is the crime. That’s the crime against society. You say that you had no choice. ... I understand. But we all have choices. You instilled fear in people not deserving of it,” the Register quotes Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti as saying.  

Referencing Henderson's lengthy criminal record, the Register reports that Iannotti said, “Since 1985 you have not been able to understand the consequences of your actions.”