SHOP ASSISTANT IN KNIFE RAID ORDEAL
TERRIFYING HOLD-UP CAPTURED ON CCTV
A SHOP worker has been left badly shaken after being robbed at knifepoint in a corner shop in Londonderry.
The woman, a mother in her 30s, was traumatised after a butcher’s knife-wielding male robbed Whites News & Views on Blucher Street in the Bogside yesterday.
The teenage raider, dressed in a hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers, leaned over the counter with the weapon, threatened the woman and demanded cash from the till.
Owner Terry White said it was a horrific ordeal for his employee.
“At around 10.15am a person entered the shop and held one of my staff at knifepoint,” he said.
“He told her that he wanted all the money from the till.
“Then, when he saw the cameras, he told her he wanted the CCTV footage as well.
“The girl told him that there was no CCTV footage, that the cameras were broken. He then made off on foot with a quantity of money.
“The woman who works in the shop was left very badly shaken by the incident, as you can imagine.
“It’s bad enough having to deal with what happened here today, but she will also have to deal with the aftermath.
“The fear will be there.”
He added that local people had rallied round him and his staff after the robbery.
“The reaction of the community has been brilliant,” Mr White said.
“I posted up a status on Facebook about it and people were very sympathetic.
“We are a small business providing jobs for the local people
in this community. At 10am on a Sunday morning, nobody expects
this. The suspect was loitering outside the shop for 10 minutes before he went in and robbed it, so someone could have seen him then.”
Mr White posted CCTV images of the suspect on his social media platforms yesterday asking for the public’s help in identifying him.
The pictures were shared hundreds of times by other social media users.
The PSNI appealed for witnesses and information following the incident.
Detective Sergeant Richard Donnell said: “The suspect is described as being aged in his teens, and is reported to have worn a hat and a black rain jacket.
“I’m appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and who saw a man matching the description of the suspect, or anyone who knows anything about the incident, to contact detectives at Strand Road on 101, quoting reference number 527 of 16/02/19.
“Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.”