Pub raider jailed for six years
A bar boss has spoken of her relief after the thug who held up her pub was jailed.
Ashley Nicholson slammed hood Matthew Sharkey for terrorising her staff during the raid.
The robber made off with more than £ 500 after striking at Ayr’s Crumbs and Cocktails in March.
Customers chased him from the scene, believing he had a gun.
Sharkey, 29, had robbed almost £ 3000 from the town’s Libby’s Convenience Store just days earlier, while wearing a moon boot.
He was jailed for six years and eight months at the High Court in Glasgow last week.
Bar owner Ashley told the Post: “I’m happy it’s a tough sentence as this was a really traumatic experience for my staff.
“Had the customers not chased him from the bar, who knows what might have happened?
“We’re just lucky nobody was hurt.
“My only hope is he serves his sentence and is not let out early for good behaviour.”
Sharkey had walked into Crumbs on the pub’s busy quiz night and ordered a can of Vimto before chatting with another customer.
He then sneaked up to a barmaid, saying: “Give me everything you have and no one will get hurt.”
She believed Sharkey was armed with a weapon.
The young woman claimed she had to go to the cellar, where she tried dialling 999.
But Sharkey eventually got his hands on more than £ 500 after confronting the barmaid again.
As he left he told her: “Don’t do anything stupid. Good girl.”
Ashley, 29, added: “The way he spoke to my member of staff was very degrading.
“He was so calm and knew exactly what he was doing.”
A group of men playing pool in the pub became aware of the robbery and chased Sharkey.
The thug pointed an air pistol at them as well as at police, who arrived on the scene.
Firearms officers eventually stopped Sharkey.
Euan Cameron, defending, said Sharkey struck after falling out with his ex- lover.
I t emerged he had previously been jailed for five years for robbery in Blackpool.
Lord Mullholland told him: “You subjected the people to a terrifying experience when all they were doing was trying to earn an honest living.”