A Dundee great great-grandmother was threatened with having her throat cut and a bullet put in her head at the shop where she worked.
The thief escaped with about £800 after holding up Christine Lawrence (76) at knifepoint at Stobswell Newsagents on Albert Street on Monday evening.
Ms Lawrence said she had been left ”shaken” by the repeated threats of violence but she vowed to be back at work today
”He said ‘you’ve got two minutes to open that till and give me the money or I’ll cut your throat’,” she said.
Ms Lawrence initially told the hooded robber that she could not get into the till, but he repeated his threat.
”I’d just bagged some money and there wasn’t much in the till so he wasn’t happy with what I gave him,” she said.
”He said ‘there’s more than that’, and I kept telling him there wasn’t but, unknown to me, there was a bag with notes in it at the back of the till and I spotted it and threw it on the counter.”
The man, who had covered his face with a scarf and pulled the hood on his top down low, then demanded Ms Lawrence open the safe.
”I said I couldn’t get in the safe because I didn’t have a key,” she said.
The raider then threatened to shoot Ms Lawrence before requesting a pack of cigarettes.
”He said ‘don’t phone the police, I’ll be watching you and it’ll just take me two minutes to come in and put a bullet in your head’.
”Then he said ‘give me 20 Lambert and Butler’.”
Tayside Police said last night no one had been arrested and the robbery was still being investigated.
Ms Lawrence, who has worked at the shop for 15 years, said: ”I heard the bell on the door ring and went forward to the till.
”He had a scarf on, so I could just see his eyes. I remember thinking: oh, is he feeling the cold?
”When I got down to the till he pulled a knife on me. I was bit nervy at the time; a bit shaken up.
”The family are not happy with me going back to work but I just told them to shut up and let me do my own thing.
”You’ve got to get on with life and I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
The suspect is described as being between 20 and 25, about 5ft 8in and of average build.
At the time of the incident about 7pm on Monday he was wearing a grey hooded top, a dark-coloured scarf covering his face up to his eyes, grey jogging bottoms and grey or light blue trainers.
Anyone with information should call Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222.