THIS is the moment brave Post Office staff disarmed a thief after he made a failed bid to rob their workplace with a ‘gun’.
A high court judge praised the bravery of the workers after watching the “terrifying” footage of Robert Danskin’s trying to rob the NISA local store in Abbey View, Dunfermline, in June 2024.
The footage shows Danskin brandish an imitation gun – described as ‘indistinguishable’ from a real weapon’ at staff.
He demadns staff member Cheryl Gourlay fill a bag with money before jumping over a counter and assault her by seizing her body.
But brave Cheryl put herself in front of the till and refused to comply with his requests.
She then shouted to her colleagues who came rushing to her help.
Her colleagues ran over to counter to help her – wrestling Danskin to the ground.
One staff member wrestled the pistol out of Danskin’s hand whilst punching him.
His colleagues pulled Danskin’s balaclava off his head, wrestle him to the ground and restrain him there until the police arrived to arrest him.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the 36-year-old crook walked into the shop wearing a balaclava brandishing a weapon described in court by prosecutor Anna Chishoim as a “realistic” imitation gun.
She also said it looked “indistinguishable” from a real gun.
Ms Chisholm said: “Cheryl Gourlay told him he wasn’t getting money.”
Court staff played the minute long incident which had been captured on CCTV cameras.
The court heard that Danskin had a conviction for a similar offence in 2007. This prompted Lord Scott to defer sentence.
Lord Scott said: “I am inclined to call for reports. Notwithstanding the real bravery of a number of individuals who intervened, this must have been a terrifying incident in which no one other than the accused was aware that this wasn’t a real firearm.”
The story emerged after Danskin, also of Dunfermline, pleaded guilty to assaulting Cheryl Gourlay whilst wearing a mask on his face.
The charge to which Danskin admitted states that he acted aggressively whilst demanding money and brandishing an imitation firearm at her.
He also admitted to seizing and pulling her on the body whilst attempting to rob her of money.
Footage of the failed raid went viral on X earlier this year.
Social media users saw Danskin climbing over the post office counter in an alleged attempt to take the contents of the till.
Social media users named the man who disarmed Danskin as Bob.
They witnessed him punching Danskin on the head before wrestling the gun from him with the help of other staff.
More than 27,000 people have liked and shared messages of support beneath the video of the incident, which has been viewed over two million times on X.
Members of the community in Dunfermline then launched a fundraiser to thank the post office staff for putting “their lives at risk” to disarm the robber and “save” shoppers.
On Wednesday, Ms Chisholm said that following his arrest, Danskin told officers that he wasn’t a “bad person”.
She said that he was in debt to drug dealers and was concerned that he and his partner were going to be harmed by them.
She added: “He said ‘me and my girlfriend have a £1,000 crack debt. In a weird way I wanted to get caught so I could to jail and be safe there.”
Ms Chisholm also told the court that police officers examined the firearm and found that that it was an Airsoft gun – Airsoft is a game similar to paintball.
The advocate depute said the gun had originally been covered in blue paint to keep it in line with firearms legislation.
She added: “But it has been removed at some point. This gives it the look of a realistic imitation firearm.”
Ms Chisholm also said that it in appearance it looked “indistinguishable” from a “real firearm”.
Defence solicitor advocate Ann Ogg asked Lord Scott to defer sentence.
She added: “Your lordship may be minded to call for a report.”
Lord Scott agreed and told Danskin that he had committed a “terrifying offence.”
He will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on November 7 2024.
