Armed duo steal cash and laptop during cafe raid

Published on Tuesday 9 March 2010 09:16

A CAFE owner has told how his business was held up by two armed robbers as staff prepared to close for the day.

The men raided the Moo Cafe in Brandon Terrace, Canonmills, and made off with the day's takings and a laptop computer which held the business accounts.

Nigel Gore, the owner of the cafe, said other local shopkeepers had reported two men matching the suspects' descriptions hanging around during the day.

Mr Gore said he believed they may have been "looking for the easiest prey" before striking shortly before closing time.

The cafe was almost empty when the armed robbers entered at about 5:30pm on Sunday, with one of the suspects pulling out a knife and demanding cash and the laptop.

Mr Gore said: "I had already left for the day. My staff said the first man came into the cafe and seemed suspicious, as if he wasn't a customer. They thought he might be looking to steal something.

"Then the other man came in and he pulled the knife out of a shopping bag. My staff did the right thing and gave over the cash and the laptop. It's only money which can be replaced and not worth being hurt over.

"I don't think my staff had thought about it until today when it has hit them what happened. They are shaken up, which is understandable as you're not threatened with a knife every day.

"From talking with other shopkeepers, it seems these men may have been in the area for some time beforehand. They may have been checking other businesses and looking for the easiest prey. They probably waited until we were nearing closing when it was winding down and not busy."

After taking the 600 Dell laptop and cash, the suspects then made off towards Canonmills before being lost to sight.

Mr Gore added: "The computer held all our business accounts, so it's going to cause inconvenience. I had some of it backed up but there was a lot of confidential information which has gone."

The first suspect is described as white, approximately 5ft 6in, slim, with pale skin and brown hair. He was wearing all black clothing with a black zipped cardigan.

The second suspect is also about 5ft 6in and slim. He was wearing a blue hooded top and carrying a brown reusable Tesco bag.

A police spokesman said: "We are eager to locate the men responsible for this robbery and, given the time of the day which the incident occurred, there is potentially a number of witnesses who were in the area of the cafe, or in Canonmills, who may have information that can assist with our enquiries.

"Anyone who saw anything suspicious or who recognises the suspects and can help us identify them is asked to contact police immediately."