Manager's terror as armed pair rob store

Published on Friday 28 January 2011 14:07

THE owner of an off-licence today described her terror at being held up by a pair of armed robbers.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was left "shocked and shaken" after the robbery at the Meadows Wine shop in Melville Terrace.

The incident on Thursday night came only two days after a woman held up staff at gunpoint at an RS McColl store in Danderhall, Midlothian.

In the latest robbery, the two men made off with a three-figure sum of cash after brandishing a handgun with a long barrel at the owner, who was working alone at the time.

The owner said: "It was just a normal Thursday night when, at about 8.10pm, two men entered the shop and said 'give us your money'.

"I thought it was a joke at first until one of them pulled out a gun and pointed it at my chest. My first thought was to give them the money as quickly as possible to get them out again. I emptied one till while one of them emptied the other.

"I don't know anything about guns so it could've been an air pistol, but it looked real to me.

"One of them had a scarf around his face so you could only see his eyes, while the other had a scarf on, but you could see what he looked like.

"I couldn't believe it was happening so it felt very surreal. Right after they had gone, I was in shock and started to shake and think about what had happened."

The owner, who only opened the business in August, said a passer-by had seen the men acting suspiciously outside the shop before the raid, and was able to give descriptions to police.

She added: "Afterwards, I felt really angry. Since we opened, we've had fantastic customers who come in and have a chat. Now, whenever anyone comes into the shop, I'll be wondering what they might be doing."

Detectives are now studying a CCTV image of the suspects taken from the shop's camera.

The men, who made off on foot along Melville Terrace and on to Moncrieff Terrace, are both described as being white, in their late teens to early 20s, between 5ft 8ins and 6ft tall, and of slim build.

One was wearing a black hooded top with a black scarf hiding his face and dark Adidas tracksuit bottoms. He spoke with a local accent.

The other was wearing a black hooded top. He had a blue scarf covering his face, dark-coloured Adidas tracksuit bottoms, and short or fair hair.

A police spokeswoman said: "Fortunately no-one was injured in this incident, but it has been a traumatic experience for a member of staff."We are appealing for anyone who may have been in the area and seen two men acting suspiciously to get in touch."

The armed robbery in Newton Church Road in Danderhall took place at around 6.50pm on Tuesday when a woman, aged between 18 and 22, pulled out a small handgun before demanding cash from a female shop assistant and making off with a three-figure sum of cash and several packs of cigarettes.

Tip-off sparks weapon hunt

POLICE carried out a search of scrubland near Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after receiving information that a gun had been concealed in the area.

The land at the corner of Old Dalkeith Road and Ferniehill Road was cordoned off yesterday morning.

Police sniffer dogs were brought in to comb the land while specialist search officers swept the area.

Police said the search for a weapon was not linked to any specific incident.

A police spokesman said: "Police are carrying out intelligence-led searches in an area of ground off Old Dalkeith Road."

The spokesman added that no weapons had been discovered as the search was being wound down last night.