Inverness man’s ‘almost comical’ robbery of newsagent’s shop was a bid to be jailed for his own safety, court is told
A court was told that if a robbery at an Inverness corner shop was not so serious it would be “almost comical”.
For the robber, Kurt Hercher, and the shop assistant were known to each other and when he asked Hercher if he was going to be paying later for the several bottles of Buckfast that he had seized, he replied: “No! You are being robbed.”
And when a bottle was dropped and smashed on the floor during the incident in Laidlaw’s Newsagents in Bruce Gardens, the assistant continued to try and defuse the situation by asking if Hercher wanted the other bottles “double bagged” for safety, and saying that he would tell his boss that Hercher was going to pay later.
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Hercher again told him: “No, you are being robbed, I’m better off in jail,” and after asking for cigarettes he “momentarily” picked up a piece of broken bottle.
Hercher, who appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court via video link from custody, admitted assaulting the shop assistant by pushing him on the body and brandishing a broken bottle, then robbing him of a quantity of alcohol and cigarettes, while on bail on April 8, this year.
Defence solicitor Willie Young told Sheriff Sara Matheson: “If it were not for the seriousness of the matter it would be almost comical.”
Mr Young said that the whole thing was caught on CCTV and shows the lone assistant first encountering Hercher while he is outside having a cigarette, when he asks him “how are you getting on?” and they go inside together.
Mr Young said his client fully appreciates the seriousness of the matter, but has been “struggling with his mental health” following a very serious attack on him in 2019.
Before the incident he was also struggling with an issue in his personal life said Mr Young, and he had contemplated taking his own life and thought he might be safer in a custody environment.
“He was concerned about what he might do to himself,” Mr Young added.
“He is absolutely appalled at getting himself into that particular frame of mind. As far as he is concerned it was a cry for help. He was at rock bottom this particular evening.”
Mr Young urged Sheriff Matheson to impose an non-custodial sentence in the “highly unusual circumstances of this matter,” but was told that was not possible due to Hercher’s previous record of offending and his failure to comply with previous court orders.
He was jailed for 13 months, back-dated to April 10 when he was first remanded in custody.
