iStockA robber ended up locked inside a post office during an armed raid.
Thomas McGarva had targeted the shop just a three-minute walk from his home in Falkirk, Stirlingshire.
The masked 46-year-old had stormed in on January 21, 2025, clutching what appeared to be a small gold pistol.
Prosecutor John McElroy KC told the High Court in Glasgow the lone worker was “terrified” and “thought he was going to die”.
McGarva dragged the man into the post office area of the Spar USave shop in the town’s Cumbrae Drive.
The court heard the robber took out a carrier bag and demanded it be filled with cash before “frantically” grabbing bank notes himself.
CCTV footage captured the employee struggling with McGarva to try and stop him.
“The worker managed to get out of the post office area and the shop, where he locked the door with McGarva still inside,” Mr McElroy told the court.
“He was shouting for help as McGarva appeared with a screwdriver in hand.
“McGarva was hitting the glass on the door, so the worker also pulled down the shutter.
“He then went to the back door and locked it too.”
A team of armed police arrived and removed the trapped assailant.
A check of CCTV footage revealed McGarva had hidden the gun behind bottles of juice in a fridge.
It was found to be an imitation firearm – a spring-operated air pistol.
The hearing was told a total of £1,140 of stolen cash was found in McGarva’s plastic bag.
McGarva pled guilty in court to a charge of assault and robbery.
He already had similar convictions, including one for which he served a seven-year jail term in 2017.
Lord Harrower remanded McGarva in custody and said he is considering an extended sentence when he returns to the dock later this month.
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