A Dundee shopkeeper has spoken of his relief after the armed robber who threatened to stab him was jailed for four years and eight months.
Eldho Vattakkattiel, who owns Rachu’s shop in the city’s Victoria Road, initially thought it was a joke when one of his regular customers donned a stocking mask to commit the crime in January.
However, when Scott McMillan confronted Mr Vattakkattiel with a knife and demanded money from the till he began to fear for his life.
Following McMillan’s sentencing, Mr Vattakkattiel revealed this is not the first time he has faced would-be thieves and he is now nervous about running his business.
”I’m not feeling good because I’m facing the problems continuously,” he said. ”Scott McMillan happened in January but I’ve had other problems. I’m not going back though I’m going to move forward.”
A judge told McMillan (26) the incident must have been terrifying for Mr Vattakkattiel.
Lord Uist said: ”I have viewed the CCTV footage of the crime being committed and it is clear from this it must have been a terrifying incident for the shopkeeper.
”You entered the shop in question wearing a stocking mask over your face, repeatedly brandished a knife at him, threatened to stab him and robbed him of £295, which was not subsequently recovered.”
Lord Uist added: ”You told your girlfriend you were going to commit the robbery and afterwards returned to her with the money you obtained.”
The judge told McMillan: ”You have an anti-social personality disorder. You have been assessed as highly likely to reoffend and as constituting a serious risk to the public.”
He said he would have jailed him for seven years for the offence if he had been convicted after trial.
He also ordered that McMillan be kept under supervision for a further five years.
Defence solicitor advocate Jack Brown told the High Court in Edinburgh that McMillan accepted ”a significant penalty will be imposed on him”.
Advocate depute Stephen O’Rourke had earlier told the court: ”The victim recognised the accused as a regular customer at the shop and therefore initially thought it was a joke.
”It was only when the accused produced a large knife and walked behind the counter and threatened him that he realised it was a robbery,” he said.
McMillan was handed cash from the till but realised there was more money still in it and said he would stab Mr Vattakkattiel if it was not handed over.
Mr Brown earlier told the court that McMillan, who has previous convictions for assault and robbery, had spent two days taking drink and drugs and had no recollection of events.
He said the robber was ”genuinely remorseful” for what had happened to the shopkeeper whose convenience store he had patronised for a period of time.
He added that the disguise adopted by unemployed McMillan for the armed raid was ”farcical”.
McMillan, of Edzell Street, Dundee, previously admitted assaulting Mr Vattakkattiel on January 29 at Rachu’s shop, by entering the premises with his face masked, demanding money, brandishing a knife, threatening to stab him and robbing him of £295.
Mr O’Rourke said that after McMillan was handed the remainder of the money from the till he left the shop, but was followed by his victim.
McMillan saw him and pulled out the knife and walked towards him and the shopkeeper returned to the store and contacted police.
After the 999 call officers traced McMillan and recovered the stocking mask, knife and clothing worn by him during the robbery. When McMillan was interviewed by police he denied involvement in the offence.
Mr Vattakkattiel said he was relieved McMillan had been locked up but said he was disappointed with the sentence.
”I expected him to be locked up for longer. I’m glad he will be punished but I’m facing these problems all the time,” he said.