A man has appeared in court, charged with assault and robbery, after a Moray shopkeeper was held up at knifepoint.
Ryan Campbell made no plea when he appeared in private at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday.
The 29-year-old was detained by police within hours of the owner of the Cullen Paper Shop being threatened on Thursday morning.
Campbell, from South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, was remanded in custody and had his case committed for further examination.
Police surrounded the paper shop in The Square in Cullen after reports of a theft shortly after 7am on Thursday morning.
Officers made door-to-door enquiries to find out more about the incident following reports of popular shop owner Alex Legge being threatened with a knife.
Campbell faces charges of assault, assault and robbery, vandalism, carrying an offensive weapon and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Customers trying to get into the shop were the first to call the police after becoming aware of an unfolding incident outside the store.
Reports of a heavy police presence spread quickly in the quiet coastal village as officers began collecting evidence.
Keith and Cullen councillor Ron Shepherd explained that the incident had shocked the tight-knit community.
He said: “I can’t remember anything like this happening in Cullen before – it doesn’t even happen that often in the whole of Moray.
“People had told me they didn’t think it was a local guy, which is good to know.”
Last night, police paid tribute to the support they had received from local residents in apprehending the suspect.
Detective Inspector Norman Stevenson said: “Thank you to those who assisted with this inquiry and the local community for their patience while the incident was dealt with.”
