Man stabbed Aldi worker in robbery bid before being chased by colleagues

Ross Barratt stabbed a 42-year-old cashier on the body, leaving the woman scarred for life, after he demanded she open a till.

Man who stabbed Aldi worker in robbery bid before being chased by her colleagues jailedGoogle Maps

A man stabbed an Aldi worker during a robbery bid before being pursued by her colleagues, a court has heard.

Ross Barratt, 44, was jailed for eight years on Thursday following a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The court heard how Barratt had gone to a branch of the German supermarket in Glasgow’s Cardonald area in March 2023.

Barratt stabbed a 42-year-old cashier on the body, leaving the woman scarred for life, after he demanded she open a till.

He fled the shop after failing to get his hands on any cash. A jury heard how two workers decided to try and apprehend Barratt.

They were joined by a motorist who noticed the subsequent commotion. He stopped and offered to give the pair a hand by giving them a lift.

They noticed Barratt head towards a nearby high-rise flat complex, where the attacker then forced entry to a sixth-floor flat.

He then became involved in an altercation with the householder there.

Finally, police managed to arrest Barratt and brought him to justice.

He pleaded guilty during the trial to assault and attempted robbery, threatening behaviour, as well as having a knife at a trial at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this year.

Barratt had denied attempting to murder the householder.

He was instead convicted of assaulting the man to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.

Jurors concluded he was acting under provocation at the time.

On Thursday, Barratt appeared from custody for sentencing before Judge Alistair Watson who told him only a jail term was suitable given the seriousness of his crimes.

Speaking about the injuries Barratt inflicted on the victim, Judge Watson said: “But for the skilled treatment of medical professionals, there was a high risk of you inflicting a lethal injury upon him.

“Only a significant custodial sentence is appropriate in this case.”

At previous proceedings, jurors heard two workers decided to tackle armed Barratt and initially went on foot after him.

The two Aldi workers got into the car before the pair, and the driver, leapt out when they caught sight of Barratt after driving a short distance.

Barratt – described as “aggressive” – was heard to say: “Let’s have it.”

But, Barratt ran off again before the men got back in the car to follow him to a tower block at Tinwald Path around half a mile away from the Aldi.

Police arrived at the scene and followed a blood trail after Barratt injured himself while fleeing from the shop.

Officers discovered him soaked in blood in a sixth-floor flat after forcing entry.

It emerged Barratt had gone on to attack the man who lived there.

Describing the scene, PC Gary Hutchinson said: “A male walked towards and appeared covered in blood.

“He had quite a laceration across his face. He was calm with us but appeared shaken.

“It was clear something had happened.”

Barratt ended up being arrested for the raid at Aldi and the attack at the flat.

After the verdict, prosecutor Kath Harper KC revealed Barratt had more than 40 previous convictions, including for violence, dishonesty and drugs.

Defence solicitor advocate Robert Mitchell told Judge Watson that his client had lifelong addiction issues with drugs. Mr Mitchell said Barratt had managed to turn his turn around and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings but his crimes were committed during a “relapse”.

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