Man faces charges after ‘shop robbery’

Robert Simpson, 37, of Adamson Court, Kirk Street, is accused of the offence which is said to have happened at the Lifestyle Grocer shop in Lochee’s South Road.

Police were alerted to the incident at about 4pm on Monday when a till and its contents were allegedly stolen by Simpson.

Following an investigation, officers announced they had charged Simpson on Wednesday.

He appeared in private at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday to face one charge of assault and another of robbery.

Simpson is charged with assaulting shopkeeper Sabina Akhtar by threatening violence towards her and demanding her to hand over the contents of a till.

Simpson is then said to have leapt over the counter when Ms Akhtar refused to comply and seized the till.

He allegedly ran outside of the premises, robbing Ms Akhtar of a till and its contents, at Lifestyle Grocer, South Road, on April 17.

The offences were said to have been committed while Simpson was on bail.

Simpson made no plea or declaration in relation to the charge on petition.

The case was continued for further inquiries and Simpson was remanded in custody meantime.

Alarmed onlookers told the Tele at the time it had been “frightening” to see a hub of police activity outside the store, as well as blue and white police tape to help preserve the scene (pictured).

Charlie Duncan, 79, a retired transport worker from Lochee who lives above the convenience store, said: “I looked out the window and there were police everywhere — vans, cars and the shop was cordoned off, too.

“I called down to the police officers, from my window to ask what was going on.”

It comes just days after shopkeepers said they felt vulnerable after a spate of robberies from their stores.

Mohammed Issa, who is the owner of a chain of stores throughout Dundee and a member of an organisation for shopkeepers in the city, said he and others felt there was a lack of communication between police and the Asian shopkeeper community.

A MAN has appeared in court after allegedly assaulting and then robbing a Dundee shopkeeper.

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