Brave shopkeeper thwarts gunman with volley of bread rolls

The robber broke into the shop in Mayfield, Midlothian, early on Sunday morning, just after the 50-year-old shopkeeper took delivery of a lorry load of bread.

The gunman pulled up the shop’s shutters and smashed a glass panel to force his way in. The shopkeeper was standing alone in the middle of the premises, surrounded by stacks of plastic bakers’ crates and bundles of newspapers.

As the gunman pointed what is believed to have been a revolver at him, the brave shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, reached for the trays of rolls and began firing them at the intruder’s head.

The robber, who was still clutching the weapon, was sent flying on to his back as the trays of rolls hit him in the face and body.

The shopkeeper said: "The roll delivery normally comes at about 5:30am, and I had just got them all inside when I noticed someone had pulled the front shutter up halfway.

"The man knocked at the door, and I could see his legs, but not his face.

"I didn’t open the door because I was worried. I didn’t know who it could be so early in the morning," said the shopkeeper. "Then he started kicking at the door until the glass smashed and he could climb into the shop."

The hooded robber reached into his clothing and pulled out a black handgun, which he pointed at the terrified shopkeeper.

The man continued: "I was standing in the middle of the shop between dozens of bread crates full of rolls.

"I didn’t want to give him another chance to point the gun at me, and so I started throwing the bread crates on top of him to protect myself from his gun.

"I wanted to make it too difficult to take aim and shoot at me. I wanted to bury him in crates so he couldn’t see through them.

"When I knocked him over, I think he started panicking that he would be trapped by the crates I was throwing at him.

"He knew the only way out was through the hole he squeezed through in the first place, and he decided to make a run for it."

The shopkeeper added: "I lost a few dozen rolls, but I am glad it was nothing more serious."

Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery, which happened at around 5:40am on Sunday at Mayfield newsagents.

A police spokeswoman said: "We would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen someone hanging around the shop to come forward. It was only because the shopkeeper threw the bread at the suspect that he ran off.

"There were people around making deliveries at the time who may have seen a man fitting his description acting suspiciously."

The gunman is described as being a white male, around 5ft 7in and aged 25 to 30 years.

He was wearing a dark hooded top and dark gloves.