Image copyright Wyandotte County Sheriff's Department Image caption Lawrence Ripple handed himself in immediately after committing the robbery

A 70-year-old man from Kansas has pleaded guilty to a bank robbery on Tuesday, saying he did it to escape from his wife.

Lawrence Ripple robbed a Kansas City bank, last September, and then waited in the lobby until police came.

He told investigators he would rather go to jail than live at home, and now faces up to 20 years.

His wife accompanied him to court, but has not commented, reported the Kansas City Star.

Mr Ripple handed the bank clerk a note, demanding cash and warning he had a gun, according to court documents.

He was passed nearly $3,000 (£2,400), but he did not get far.

In the lobby, he stopped, took a seat and told the guard he was the "guy he was looking for".

Mr Ripple had also picked a bank with a police station on the same block.

A police statement said that Mr Ripple had an argument with his wife earlier in the day.