RENFREW: HAVE-A-GO HEROES FOILED RAID BY ARMED TEEN YOBS

HAVE-A-GO HEROES FOILED RAID BY ARMED TEEN YOBS

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ARMED thugs got more than they bargained for when they tried to rob a newsagents – as the shopkeepers tackled them head on.

Have-a-go heroes Mohammed Ashraf, Arif Ashraf and Mohammed Yousaf leapt into action as they were confronted by teenage yobs Steven Muldoon and Andrew Campbell.

Muldoon, who was armed with a large kitchen knife, and his pal Campbell, who was wielding a spanner, marched in to the Group 3 News store, in Hairst Street, Renfrew, at around 4am, just as staff had opened up to await the day’s deliveries.

However, they met their match as the shopkeepers showed they were not going to be intimidated.

As 17-year-old Campbell went for one of the brave workers with the spanner, staff grappled with him and Mr Yousef picked up a stick to defend himself.

He then pressed the panic alarm button, which alerted police.

Campbell was placed in a head-lock and Mr Yousaf was able to knock the weapon from his hand.

Seeing his accomplice was being over-powered, 16-year-old Muldoon pulled a knife from his jacket but Mr Yousaf once more used his three-feet long shutter stick to knock the blade from his grasp.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard that Campbell and Muldoon were so heavily under the influence of a cocktail of valium and booze at the time that they “believed they were invisible”.

Depute fiscal Clifford Most told the court that Muldoon suddenly produced a second knife, but threw it to the floor when he realised the game was over and, as he did, the three shopkeepers “herded them into the corner” to await the arrival of police.

Officers seized the weapons and took a video tape which had recorded the incident.

When questioned by police, Campbell said they had behaved in the manner described as they owed someone around £1,500.

Both Campbell, of King George Park Avenue, Renfrew, and Muldoon, of Friendship Way, Renfrew, admitted assaulting Mohammed Ashraf by attempting to strike him with a spanner and large knife, with intent to rob him, on January 21.

Defence agent Terry Gallanagh said his client had been aged 16 at the time and had developed an addiction to non-prescribed drugs.

“He has little or no recollection of events due to the influence of alcohol and valium,” he added.

The lawyer said his client was now in full-time employment and in the midst of a regime aimed at conquering the drug-abuse issues, having been motivated to seek help.

Sheriff David Pender deferred sentence on the accused and called for background profiles and a community service assessment, ordering a Restriction of Liberty report to be prepared for electronic tagging to be considered.

Both Campbell and Muldoon were released on bail and told to return to court on Monday, September 10, to learn their fate.

After the court hearing, Mr Yousef told the Paisley Daily Express he would act in the same way if robbers targeted the shop in the future.

The brave 53-year-old said: “It was very scary when those two guys marched in to the shop because we had only just opened for business and it was still early in the morning.

“When the guy came in with the spanner, I pressed the panic button and whacked his leg with my stick.

“Then I turned round and the other boy had a knife in his hand. I tried to hit him on the wrist but he moved and I actually knocked the blade out of his hand.

“After that, we managed to get them to the ground and waited for the police. They didn’t struggle – they knew the game was up.

“It all happened so quickly and the first thing that came into my mind was to stand up for myself.”

And he added: “If it did happen again, I would not lie down to these people.”