Manager is stabbed trying to stop Corstorphine shop robbery

A SHOPKEEPER is in a serious condition in hospital after being stabbed in the back as he tried to stop his store being robbed.

RAID: Inam Hamid outside the shop in St John's Road, Corstorphine. Picture: GREG MACVEAN

Ehsan "Sunny" Hamid was rushed to hospital after the daylight attack at his Premier Express shop in St John's Road, Corstorphine.

The 25-year-old, who manages the store, was taken to hospital with suspected kidney damage while his brother Tamveer, 35, had his hand slashed during the incident at around 11.30am yesterday.

Witnesses said a man entered the shop and asked for cigarettes, alcohol, and other goods totalling 120, before attempting to leave without paying for them. They described seeing Sunny lying on the ground outside the shop after the incident "in a bad way".

Today, Sunny's other brother, Inam Hamid, 27, told the Evening News: "Sunny is serious in hospital.

"The doctors said the stab wound was close to his kidney and that they might keep him in. We're hoping he recovers OK."

Inam said the raid was the latest in a series of incidents to have blighted the shop in recent months.

He said: "Someone put a glass through the window about ten days ago, and about seven months ago Sunny was attacked for nothing behind the counter.

"Every day these people come in and nick a can of beer, or a bottle of wine, but what are you going to do, call the police every time? And if you try to do anything to stop it look what happens."

Mohammed Gee, who owns the shop, said when he had run the business himself he had also been plagued by thieves.

He said: "Just last week someone smashed my car up and stole my sat-nav and CD player around the corner."

He added: "Corstorphine seems like a good area but it's not. There is a lot of trouble here."

Police said a 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident.