Robber abducts chippie worker

A week after being freed from jail, a violent criminal carried out an armed raid on a Perthshire chip shop.

Thirty-two-year-old Nicholas McGurk tied up the owner, a former police officer, and then abducted a female assistant after threatening them with an imitation firearm and a knife.

He was jailed for nine years when he appeared for sentence at Edinburgh High Court.

Lord Boyd told the accused: “It is difficult to imagine the fear that she must have felt at what was happening to her.”

He pled guilty to charges of assault, abduction and robbery at Brodie’s Traditional Fish and Chips, George Square, Coupar Angus, on August 26 last year.

The court was told that Alex Wong had run the take-away for 14 years after retiring from the police in Hong Kong.

Shortly before closing time, McGurk, who has convictions for drugs, violence and having knives in his possession, burst in.

Depute fiscal Stewart Ronnie said he had a gun and pointed the weapon at the woman.

He told her to hand over money but initially she thought it was “a joke”.

When Mr Wong appeared, McGurk then took out a large blade while screaming for cash.

He pointed the knife towards Mr Wong’s neck and stated: “If you do anything, I will kill you.”

He was tied to a sink in the kitchen with a telephone cable while the female victim was forced to hand over keys to his Mercedes car.

She was driven off by McGurk but he crashed into a parked van.

The court was told that he had only been freed from a lengthy sentence for theft eight days previously.

Both victims had been left “traumatised” after their terrifying ordeal and Mr Wong had been forced to close the chip shop.

When apprehended, McGurk insisted the accusations were “lies”.

He added: “I’ve just got off a bus from Perth. Basically I never done this.”