An armed thug who tried to rob a Fife takeaway on Christmas Eve has been jailed.
Bradford man Ian Cochrane was fought off by staff when he targeted the Curry Heights in Inverkeithing in 2020.
And he was later caught after investigators found his DNA on a knife which he had left behind at a local hotel.
Cochrane, 42, appeared on Tuesday for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court via video link from Perth Prison.
Sheriff Susan Duff jailed him for three years, with the sentence backdated to December 31 when he was first remanded in custody.
‘Give me the money’
The court heard previously that Cochrane entered the takeaway, assaulted worker Lalit Satyawaly, brandished a knife and attempted to strike him on the body with it, and shouted and demanded money.
Mr Satyawaly told The Courier after the raid: “The sad thing is if he had just asked for help I would have probably given him money or food for free, as I understand people are struggling.”
Procurator fiscal depute, Laura McManus, told the court that Cochrane had lived in Bradford at the time but he and a friend were staying in a hotel in Inverkeithing over the festive period.
She said Cochrane entered the Curry Heights takeaway at around 7.10pm and went behind the serving counter.
He repeatedly shouted at Mr Satyawaly: “Give me money,” and then brandished the blade.
Ms McManus said the employee tried to close the serving counter door in an effort to protect his wife who was also working there at the time.
The fiscal depute said: “The accused raised the knife and swung towards Mr Satyawaly’s hip, narrowly missing contact with him.
“Mr Satyawaly shouted on his wife to call the police and the accused left.
“Both witnesses were in shock and highly distressed by these events.”
DNA match
The fiscal depute said police searched the area and were unable to trace Cochrane.
However, a few days later, detectives viewed CCTV which showed a man coming from the direction of the hotel and going into Curry Heights at the relevant time.
Detectives went to the room Cochrane had been using, which was left untidy, and recovered a knife with a yellow handle.
It was analysed and found to hold traces of Cochrane’s DNA.
Defence lawyer Alan Davie said previously that his client was keen to investigate the possibility of post release supervision in relation to his drug and alcohol problems.
Violent struggle
Speaking just days after the incident, Mr Satyawaly told how he grabbed Cochrane’s arm, forcing the knife away from him.
“As we struggled the man was getting more and more violent,” he said.
“I eventually managed to pull a sliding door partially across, blocking him from getting into the kitchen.
“He made his escape out of the shop, towards High Street.
“I immediately ran to the front door, locking it, as I feared he may come back with others.
“It was pretty shocking but thankfully no one was hurt and the man didn’t get anything.”
