West Lothian man accused of armed robbery at Premier store appears in court
Get the latest Edinburgh Live breaking news on WhatsApp
A West Lothian man has appeared in court after an alleged armed robbery at a Premier store.
Greg Parker was detained by officers after the incident at the Premier Bathville store in Armadale, reports the Daily Record.
Police said the alleged raid took place at around 8.15pm on Thursday June 26, with around £2,000 taken.
Parker appeared in the dock at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday June 30 - the day after his 47th birthday.
He has been charged with assault and robbery and possession of a bladed weapon. Parker, of no fixed abode, made no plea to the two charges against him.
He was remanded in custody and the case against him was continued for prosecutors to investigate further.
No future court dates have been set. He is expected to appear in court again in connection with the case next week.
On Saturday, Police Scotland confirmed the suspect had been arrested and charged.
A statement said: "A man threatened staff with a weapon before stealing approximately £2,000 in cash.
"No-one was injured as a result. The 46-year-old man is due to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday, June 30, 2025."
Shop owner Abdul Manan, 27, previously told the Record: "[My staff member] was terrified.
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages.
"He phoned me straight away and just started crying... All I wanted to know was that he was okay.
"We don't want somebody getting hurt just for some money. That's not going to happen. He is still very shaken up, though.
"We are working hard and times are tough as it is - but for things like this to happen, it's devastating."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
21 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh woman warns 'it was like something out of Adolescence' as boys 'target her'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh woman has recalled the horrifying moment she was targeted by youths with sickening racist abuse. Emily Yao was unlocking her bike with her two friends at Potterow at around 10pm on Tuesday night, when two young boys on e-scooters raced towards them. She then claimed they hurled abuse at the trio, including calling them 'Chinese f*****s'. Emily, who has lived in the capital since the pandemic and was born in China, said she has never once felt unsafe in the city before now. During the incident she attempted to film the two youths, who she believed are around 11-years-old, on her phone. In one clip, she can be heard asking: "Do you want me to feel threatened?" Emily told us the 'sinister' incident reminded her of the Netflix show Adolescence, particularly of a scene where the main character asks his therapist if he scared her. She feels the youths may have a 'hatred of women', after they called her group 'b*****s several times. Police Scotland officers are now investigating the incident with inquiries 'ongoing'. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Emily said: "Suddenly we heard a kind of howling sound, like an animal, from behind. "We saw someone racing towards us on a scooter, and just as he was about to hit us he swirled around. We were a little bit shocked, and then, he and a mate of him and just started to say things like Chinese f*****s, f*** off. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox "I just took out my phone and started filming them and trying to get a clear shot of their face, but I couldn't quite get them. I was trying to get them to come back and to, I asked them, can you repeat what you just said to me on tape? 'When I gave up and turned around, they would then follow me and then race towards me again. Then they would start hurling racial comments at me again." Emily said the two youths called her group 'b*****s several times during the incident. She continued: "He asked me 'do you feel threatened?' so I asked him 'do you think I should be? Do you want me to feel threatened? "The whole encounter was just so sinister. I was kind of embarrassed that I was frightened by what looks like an 11 or 12-year-old. "I think the thing that makes it a bit different is that they seem to only target Asian women. The whole thing reminded me of Adolescence, that Netflix show, especially when he asked me the question, do you feel threatened? "It just took me right back to the show where the boy asked the psychologist if he scared her. It's really weird, and the fact that they are targeting women. It makes you wonder if it's because they actually do have a hatred of women, I mean they were calling us b*****s the whole times." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Having lived in Edinburgh for several years now, Emily said she has previously told people that the UK is where she feels the most safe. She added: "I've never felt unsafe before this. I would tell people that I've never really experienced anything kind of almost like racial or even aggressive. "Of course there is the occasional teenager just kind of like, whistling at you and stuff like that, but I've never received any attacks like this and never really felt unsafe. My husband and I have lived around the world, and I would always tell people I feel the safest in the UK. "I feel least racially discriminated here, apart from my own country. I never really think about race as something. I don't think race is ever something like top of my mind, really, until this very event where I'm obviously racially targeted. 'When I was looking at the videos, I did feel a kind of anxiety. I wouldn't say I would avoid those areas just because I don't want it to limit me in any way. He wants me to feel threatened, and I won't let him." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "An investigation is under way following a report of racial abuse. The incident occurred around 10pm on Tuesday, 1 July 2025 on Charles Street in Edinburgh, when two youths on bikes approached three women and shouted abusive comments at them. Enquiries are ongoing."
Edinburgh Live
27 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Heartbroken family's tribute to East Lothian fisherman after tragic drowning
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The heartbroken family of an East Lothian fisherman have spoken for the first time since his death in the hope of preventing future tragedies. Łukasz Kasperczyk was just 32 years-old when he drowned at Dunbar Harbour in a catastrophic accident. Originally from Poland, Łukasz was enjoying a day out with friends when events took a traumatic turn. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, his family said he was clambering over rocks alone and fell "face first into a small body of water" where he was later pronounced dead. He left behind his girlfriend, son, sister, dad and five nieces. He passed away on June 30, 2017. Łukasz' niece, Ewelina Wybraniec, 24, said she had a "really close" relationship with her uncle before losing him when she was 16 years-old. She said: "He was an amazing guy and he was always there for my mum. We lost my granny the year prior to my uncle so my mum was in the middle of grieving when this happened. She lost him when he was 32. "It's been eight years now. We were so close - he was the only man in my life. I was 16, so I was only a baby navigating grief and it was really hard. "A group of friends had organised a fishing trip at Dunbar harbour. It was around 4pm and my uncle was pronounced dead at 5.30pm. "He left the car while they were unpacking things because he wanted to look at the rocks. They don't know what happened, there was nobody there. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. "Apparently he fainted because my uncle fell straight onto his face - his cause of death was drowning. He fell face first in a small body of water. The puddles have such a small amount of water so it's really bizarre thinking about how he drowned in that. It was a horrible accident, it took five minutes and he was gone." Working at a factory, Łukasz was loved by everyone who knew him. He moved to Scotland in 2013. Ewelina added: "He was the favourite worker and everyone adored him. He loved the outdoors and fishing, so he would have known it was dangerous. I just don't understand why he would even attempt to climb the rocks. "It's so important to think about the safety of being near the water. Nobody realises how dangerous it is out there on the rocks, one wrong move and something drastic can happen. "Nobody takes it into consideration. I definitely didn't and I would never have thought it would happen to us as a family. I went on to have my own son who I named Lucas to honour him."
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Dating app fraudster faked pregnancy to blackmail man out of £6,000
Georgette Ravette, from Clydebank, has pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to extorting a total of £6,350 from the victim. A woman blackmailed a man into paying her more than £6,000 in a fake pregnancy scam. Georgette Ravette, 28, spun a web of lies to the 25-year-old whom she met online. Ravette claimed that she was later expecting his child and demanded cash to buy her silence or she would tell his mother. She also asked for £250 to cover her for items during an apparent week long hospital stay. Ravette, of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, threatened that her cousin would 'go mental' and inflict violence if he did not meet her requests. The man was eventually so frightened for his safety that he eventually called in the police. Ravette has now pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to extorting a total of £6,350 from the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. The pair met on social media app Kik in 2023 and entered into a relationship in April that year. Ravette and the man had unprotected sex in August 2023. She claimed days later that she felt "unwell." Fiscal Amanda Gallagher said: "She told him that she did not have money for a pregnancy test and also asked for cash for new jeans." The man blocked Ravette but he received a voicemail from her days later. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. She told him: "I think you are a coward for blocking me, I am a single mother and I am not going through this again. "Give me money for a test or help get me a termination." The man received another voicemail stating: "You better send me money for a termination or a test or I will tell your mum everything." He then got a message from an unknown number warning him that Ravette was going to visit his mother. It was also chillingly stated that Ravette knew where he lived as she followed him home one day. Miss Gallagher said: "After this, the man sent £1,000 to Ravette's bank account. "He asked her to let him know if she needed more and she said that she did want more money. "Ravette demanded £1,000 to buy her silence and he sent it. "She then messaged him to say she was going to hospital for a week and needed money to purchase items so he sent her £250." Ravette went on to demand even more cash and claimed her 'cousin' was near the man's home. He took this as a "threat that someone would come to his door and threaten his family." Further payments were then stumped up. Ravette requested another £1,000 as her cousin was "about to go mental" but this time the money did not go through. He got a sinister text from who he reckoned was Ravette's relative which stated: "I know who you are and your family." The victim was so worried he was willing to hand over more cash, but the transactions were blocked by his bank. Ravette told him: "I will try and hold my cousin off but if he wanted to do something I won't be able to stop him." The man contacted the police as he feared for him and his family. Ravette refused to open the door to officers and was not arrested until a later date. Brian McGuire, defending, told the court there was an 'unusual background' to the crime which he would go into more at the next calling of the case. Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Sheriff Louise Arrol KC who granted Ravette bail meantime. The sheriff told her: "You can take it from me that I find this extremely disturbing, concerning and a very serious matter."
