Smeato inspires knifepoint victim

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A shop worker has described how he feared for his life as three men raided the store at knifepoint.

The culprits, who had their faces covered, burst into 3000 RPM in the Westport in Dundee on Friday evening.

They held 10-inch blades to Cameron Tyler's face and side before taking his wallet, phone, money and goods from the computer equipment store.

The 23-year-old said he got through it by thinking about what Glasgow Airport hero John Smeaton would have done.

Mr Tyler told the BBC Scotland news website that he was sitting in the back of the store at about 1710 GMT when he heard the door open.

He said: "I saw two men jumping the front desk and one coming round the side of the desk.

"They rushed me into the back of the shop, two held knives to my face, one to my side, they threatened to stab me several times.

"They robbed my pockets, then forced me to open the till, made me help them in getting a bag, they also wanted my mobile phone and wallet, the whole time threatening me at knifepoint."

They had a knife at me, they were willing to use it Cameron Tyler

Mr Tyler said his main priority was to survive the ordeal.

He said: "[I thought] just help them out so you can stay alive, don't get stabbed, do what you have to do.

"I thought 'What would John Smeaton do?'

"They had a knife at me, they were willing to use it if I wasn't going to co-operate so I did what I had to do."

The criminals drove to the robbery in a stolen green Renault Laguna, which was later found abandoned in Broomlee Road in the Charleston area of the city.

Forensic examinations of the car have been taking place and door-to-door inquiries carried out.

Three men were seen getting out of the vehicle, registration number R613 HGK, about half an hour after the robbery.

Mr Tyler thought about what John Smeaton would have done

Det Insp Colin Gall, from Tayside Police, said: "I would appeal to the householders in that area if they have seen three males about this time on a footpath that may lead to the rear of Broomlee Road, heading towards Portmore Place.

"There's quite an amphitheatre there of houses and there's the possibility that any one or a number of householders may have seen these men.

"We have today recovered a piece of paperwork on this footpath and we have positively identified that that would've come from the shop.

"I would encourage anyone who has seen or found anything within their garden to make themselves known to police."

And despite his ordeal, Mr Tyler is not afraid of being back at work.

He said: "They're going to get caught, so they're not going to be able to do it again.

"For what they got in the end it wasn't really worth it. Stealing cars, robbing shops, armed robbery, it's not worth it, they're just idiots."