Man tried to rob shop two months after release from prison

A MAN attempted to rob a city shop with a large knife just two months after being released by the prison authorities, having served only half of a 32 month sentence for a similar crime.

When Sheriff Gordon Liddle imposed the original sentence on 29-year old Nordine Afia in May 2009 he also ordered that he be supervised for 12 months after his release to protect the public.

Afia was set free on June 16 this year and on August 31, armed with a large kitchen knife, he attempted to rob two shop assistants, Linda Brown and Bajitar Singh, in a Choices Express store in Newington Road, Edinburgh.

Afia demanded money and began pressing buttons on the till with his left hand, while he held the knife in his right. When Ms Brown tried to grab the keys from the till, Afia left.

Fifteen minutes later, he entered St Leonards Police Station, and told a civilian support worker he had just robbed a store.

Afia, a prisoner at Edinburgh, pled guilty to the attempted assault and robbery at the city's Sheriff Court earlier this week. Sentence was deferred until today for a psychiatric report.

Sheriff Liddle told Afia: "I said to you some time ago I considered you were a dangerous individual, particularly dangerous to the public".

He said he had imposed the 32 month sentence and 12 months supervision to protect the public.

"What I intended did not in fact happen. Unfortunately, the result that I had hoped would flow from that seems not to have been sufficient to prevent you behaving in this way. I have to consider from this that you are an individual who presents a particular danger to the public. An individual who is no respecter of court orders".

Sheriff Liddle added that the public had to be protected from Afia's activities and he told him that the sentence about to be imposed would come as "no shock" to him. He ordered that he be returned to prison to serve the remainder of the original sentence, adding: "I know there can be no remission for that". This meant that sentence will end on October 15 next year.

The Sheriff then added 32 months imprisonment from next October, with a further 12 months supervised release.

Sheriff Liddle concluded: "I sincerely hope that through matters beyond my control, I don't see you back in my court charged with similar offences or worse".