Armed robber who left lone shop worker traumatised after knife threat jailed for three and a half years

An armed robber who left a lone shop worker traumatised after he threatened to stab her with a knife has been jailed for three and a half years.

Balaclava-clad John Gallagher failed to get cash as his victim stood up to him during a raid on a store in Aberdeen but snatched packs of cigarettes before he ran into the arms of police as he tried to flee.

A judge told Gallagher at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had again viewed CCTV footage of the robbery before sentencing him.

Lord Summers said: “It shows you brandishing a large knife at the store assistant and moving behind the counter and struggling with [the victim].”

The judge said that it was obvious to him after reading a victim impact statement that the crime has inflicted trauma on the shop worker.

Lord Summers told Gallagher, 50: “You have, to be blunt, an appalling criminal record.”

Gallagher earlier admitted assaulting the woman and robbing her of cigarettes on the evening of July 2 this year at the Premier Store at Urquhart Road, in Aberdeen. He also admitted unlawful possession of a knife at Urquhart Road.

He committed the offences after being granted bail at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on April 2 this year.

Gallagher has previously been jailed for seven years in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court for robbery and has served other prison sentences for violence and possession of an offensive weapon.

The High Court heard that when Gallagher entered the shop in Aberdeen, the woman told him to remove his head gear.

Advocate depute David Dickson said: “In response, the accused produced a knife from his bag and pointed it at her and demanded ‘take all the money from the till and put it in the bag’.”

The prosecutor said: “He leant over the counter and again pointed the knife at [the woman] and repeated his demand to open the till.”

He said Gallagher was using the knife, which had an 18cm cutting edge, to make stabbing motions towards the victim.

Mr Dickson said: “He also pushed her on the body and struggled with her as she declined to yield to his demands. He also brandished a pair of scissors at her.”

The woman worker made a 999 call to emergency services and put the phone down as Gallagher went behind the counter and tried to open the till with keys. He renewed threats to stab the victim before grabbing packs of cigarettes and putting them in a plastic bag.

Mr Dickson said: “[The woman] challenged the accused, attempted to stop him taking the cigarettes and managed to pull the balaclava from his head.”

The call operator heard Gallagher saying: “Give me the cigarettes. Open it, open it or I’ll stab you. Open it now.” The shopkeeper was heard saying: “I don’t know how to open the till.”

The prosecutor said: “Police officers, who were on mobile patrol, were passing the shop when they noticed a disturbance within. They stopped their vehicle and coincidentally received a relay advising of the ongoing robbery as they entered the shop.”

“As they did so the accused tried to run out and ran into the arms of the police,” said Mr Dickson.

Gallagher dropped bags containing cigarettes and the knife used to threaten the victim was found in the doorway at the premises.

Defence counsel Drew Mackenzie said that Gallagher has not worked for a number of years largely because of his substance abuse.

He said: “He does have an insight into his offending behaviour and needs to address that going forward, not only for himself but for society in general.”