The owner of a north takeaway chased would-be thieves wielding knives out of his shop by brandishing a wooden spoon.
Soon Chai, who owns the Empire Chinese Takeaway in Thurso, spoke out after one of the men was jailed for 28 months yesterday.
The 51-year-old stood his ground when Damon Mackay and Thomas Deighan burst into his premises in the town’s Princes Street last year. They were wearing makeshift face masks and each man carried a knife.
Mr Chai said: “They held up a knife at me – it must have been seven or eight inches long – and they told me to clear the till.
“My wife, Lisa, was also in the shop at the time, so I told her to pass me a big wooden spoon that we use for cooking and I chased them out.
“I wasn’t frightened, but I wasn’t going to let them rob me.
“I didn’t close up afterwards, I just carried on working.”
MacKay, 27 and Deighan, 23, subsequently appeared at Wick Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty on indictment. They also admitted breaking into the Well Pharmacy in Thurso and stealing a quantity of drugs. The offences occurred in January last year.
However, Mackay, whose address was then given as Leith Walk, Wick, went on the run, leaving his partner-in-crime to face the music. Deighan, of Lord Thurso Court, Thurso, was jailed for 23 months.
A warrant was issued for Mackay’s arrest and he claimed he was on his way north to give himself up when he was apprehended.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald told Wick Sheriff Court yesterday that during the time he had “absented himself”, Mackay had taken steps aimed at addressing issues in his life particularly the use of drugs.
She said: “There is still work to be done to ensure there is no further re-offending.”
Sheriff Andrew Berry said that the offences were serious in any area, but more unusual “in this part of the world” and commended the “very plucky” Mr Chai who had ushered the pair out of his premises.
He added: “It must have been a deeply unpleasant experience for him.”
Sheriff Berry sent MacKay to prison for 28 months for the attempted robbery which included three months for the bail aggravation.
The term was back-dated to June 9 when Mackay was arrested. He was admonished on the pharmacy break-in charge.
