Man jailed for threatening to stab Post Office staff with syringe

A drugged-up thug, armed with a syringe, threatened to stab a Post Office worker if she did not give him money from the till, but his attempted robbery ended when the woman told him she had pressed the alarm button.

Colinton Mains Post Office, Picture: Google

Liam Harrison, 29, was arrested later in the day as he walked home. He pled guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to the offence last month and sentence was deferred until today.

Fiscal Depute, Bruce Macrosson, told Sheriff Alistair Noble that on December 29 last year, Harrison walked into the Post Office in Colinton Mains Drive and told Riaz Amjid: “I know you have CCTV. I have a syringe. I am going to stab you. Empty the till”. Ms Amjid told him she had pressed the alarm button and he left. Harrison was arrested by police after they saw the CCTV footage.

Defence solicitor, Emma Todd, said her client had no recollection of the incident. The Social Work Report, however, said he was suitable for a Community-based disposal.

Sheriff Noble pointed out that the offence had been committed after Harrison had been placed on bail earlier that day. Also, his record showed an assault and robbery while on bail in 2008, assault with intent to rob in 2010, and assault to severe injury in 2012. He jailed Harrison for two years and eight months and placed him on a Supervised Release Order for 12 months in order to protect the public on his release.