Armed raider nabbed after selling fancy getaway car on Gumtree
Knife gang targeted woman in home
An Armed robber was caught after the distinctive getaway vehicle was sold on Gumtree.
Kevin Palmer, 39, was one of a gang of five who targeted the home of a 61-year-old woman in Crosshouse, near Kilmarnock, on January 29, 2020.
The mob fled empty-handed after the brave woman brandished a bread knife.
Palmer, of Pollok, Glasgow, is now behind bars after he pled guilty to assault and attempted robbery.
Fellow raider John Paul Thomson, 32, of Irvine, Ayrshire, was remanded after he admitted to the same crime. They will be sentenced later. The woman was home alone when her security system alerted her to someone outside.
But one of the robbers was already in her house and he demanded: “Give us the money.” Another of the mob wielded a knife.
Prosecutor Neil McCulloch told the High Court in Glasgow: “Kevin Palmer approached her and attempted to calm the woman.”
One of the raiders emptied her handbag looking for cash. The gang also demanded keys for a safe.
The woman struggled with the robber who had the blade. She grabbed a knife herself and held it at the man, then escaped bare-footed.
The court heard CCTV captured the gang fleeing in a black Audi A5 with black alloy wheels and silver windows.
Police identified Palmer as a suspect. He was found to be the owner of the getaway car.
McCulloch said: “The vehicle was sold online in early February 2020 by Palmer’s brother. “Photographs attached to the listing showed it to match the appearance of the car seen on the CCTV.”
The vehicle was sold online by Palmer’s brother Prosecutor Neil Mcculloch in court