Teen girl targeted by knife raider

Police are hunting a would-be robber who terrorised a teenage girl with a knife.

Staff at Casa Salvatore restaurant, on Station Road, Ellon, were shaken by the incident on Monday night.

Owner Colin Cruickshank yesterday revealed that his daughter was the target.

He praised Eilidh, 19, for keeping cool but said she had been through an ordeal.

“There were no diners in at the time, and Eilidh noticed a suspicious guy hanging around outside,” he said. “At about 6.30pm he came in brandishing a knife and shouting at her to hand over the money from the till and the keys to the safe.

“But my daughter

“Eilidh noticed a suspicious guy hanging around outside”

was an absolute star, she alerted the kitchen staff and that seemed to frighten the guy away.

“This has given everyone quite a scare, it’s not the sort of thing you expect to happen here.”

Police issued an appeal for help in finding the man, described as 5ft 8in and slim.

He was wearing a black top with the hood up and a baseball cap underneath, along with black jeans and black trainers with orange trim round the soles.

Inspector Graeme Penny said: “We would like to hear from anyone who may have been passing through the town centre between 6.30pm and 7pm and may have dashcam footage of anyone matching the description.”

• Meanwhile, a different man appeared in court yesterday following an alleged attempted robbery in Ellon on Sunday. Ciaran Anderson is accused of trying to break into a property on Station Road in an unrelated incident. The Peterhead 20-year-old made no plea and was remanded in custody.