A man has been jailed for attempting to rob an Aberdeen corner shop by telling a worker he had a gun in his bag as he pulled out a knife and demanded £1,000 in cash.
Brian Forbes shopped frequently at L&M Stores on Hutcheon Street so employee Chaudhry Khan thought nothing of it when he came in shortly before 6am on Friday, August 17.
But the 52-year-old proceeded to put a handwritten note on the counter demanding £1,000.
When Mr Khan refused to engage Forbes put his hand in the bag and said he had a gun before pulling out a lock knife.
The panic alarm was then sounded and Forbes fled only to be traced at his home and arrested two hours later.
He confessed to attempting to rob the shop and being in possession of a knife in a public place during an earlier appearance in Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he returned yesterday to be sentenced.
Representing the prisoner of HMP Grampian, defence agent Iain McGregor said: “Other than the fact he indicated he had a gun there were no other threats.”
He added that his client had tried to get himself admitted to the Royal Cornhill Hospital but was unsuccessful and the crimes were committed shortly after.
Imposing a sentence, Sheriff William Summers said: “The inescapable fact is that these are serious crimes.
“There is in my assessment no appropriate alternative than to impose a custodial sentence.”
He jailed Forbes for two years.