A CLACKMANNAN man who pulled a gun on a sales assistant and stole £100 from the petrol station in Menstrie has been jailed this week.

Mark Adair carried out the "appalling" armed robbery on 28 December last year, sparking a major police investigation.

However, police later detained the 32-year-old during a raid on Woodside Terrace in late January.

He stood trial at Edinburgh High Court last month and was convicted after four days' of evidence was led.

The jury took less than an hour to return their verdict.

Police say Adair subjected his victim to a "horrific" ordeal when he stormed into the building and demanded money.

The High Court heard that Adair had recently bought a distinctive red Honda Civic Type R hatchback before using it to get to and from the scene of the robbery.

The vehicle was caught on CCTV travelling to Menstrie and driving away from the Clackmannanshire village.

In giving her evidence, the sales assistant said: “He pointed the gun at me and said to me that he knew where I stayed; he knew where my family stayed and he was coming back to shoot me.”

Throughout the trial, Adair denied assaulting and robbing the cashier by presenting a replica pistol at her, repeatedly demanding money, threatening to shoot her, forcing her to open the till and trying to compel her to open a safe.

He was also convicted of possessing the imitation firearm.

After Adair was sentenced, Police Scotland issued a statemtn thank the Hillfoots villages for their support.

Detective Inspector Graeme Hendry said he hoped the lengthy prison term would act as some comfort to the victim and as a deterent for others.

He added:  "This was an appalling crime and Adair subjected his victim to an horrific experience.

"He did not care about her welfare and used a weapon to purposefully frighten her. My thoughts are very much with her and hopefully she and the community can gain some reassurance from the length of the sentence imposed.

"The result was due to the dedication of all of the staff involved in this investigation who were drawn from across Police Scotland.

"By consolidating our resources we were able to bring Adair to justice. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Hillfoots community for their assistance and support.