Brave employee denies gunman cash

An employee at a Middleton bookmakers denied a robber's demand for cash despite having a gun pointed at him during an attempted armed robbery.

At about 2.30pm on Friday (25 September), a man ran into the BetBen shop on Chapel Walk brandishing a black handgun and pointed it at the employee, demanding money.

The worker ducked behind the glass-screened counter and told the would-be robber that he wasn't going to hand over anything.

The offender had been driven to the bookies on a trail type motorbike by another man and when his demand for cash was denied he ran out of the bookies and back to the bike, which sped off towards Middleton town centre.

The man with the gun is described as white, aged 18 to 20 and was of medium build. He was dressed entirely in black.

The man riding the bike was wearing a light grey hooded top with a stripe across the front. The bike had no plates on it.

Detective Constable Mike Berger, based at Rochdale CID, said: "The worker was incredibly brave in refusing gunpoint demands but it was a frightening experience for him.

"We do not want people brandishing weapons of any kind, especially guns. This criminal was prepared to point a gun in an innocent man's face and must be caught.

"It would have been busy in Middleton at that time and it's quite possible that people spotted the bike on its way to or from the betting shop, if you did see anything please contact me."

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4646 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.