She said the three men who got out from the car and did the robbery wore black balaclavas, except the big man in the front, who had a stocking mask on. The man who was sitting in the rear nearside passenger seat led the other two at a steady pace across the street in an ‘A’ formation. Kingston asked if she could give an estimate of their heights and any weapons they were carrying now they were out of the car. She thought about it and said the man in the front of the car was about six feet to six feet two inches tall and carrying a gun in his right hand. She thought the man next to him and the leader were both about five feet ten inches, and the one behind the leader had a sawn-off shotgun, which he held with both hands on his right side.

‘The man leading them – was he armed?’

‘Not that I noticed. The only thing I saw him carrying was the cash box from the Securicor van as they left.’ She continued and said that while the tall man and the leader were at the back of the van, the man with the shotgun was at the front, pointing it at the driver. ‘A young man suddenly ran across the road and tried to get the shotgun off him, but got knocked to the ground. He was on his back and I could hear him beg for his life, then there was a loud bang and he screamed in agony as he thrashed around on the pavement and clutched his stomach. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen – he was defenceless, there was no need to shoot him. The next thing I saw was the Cortina outside the bank and the three men jump in it with the cash box. I ran downstairs to go and help the man who’d been shot, but when I opened the pub door I could see the two Securicor guards and the bank manager helping him, so I stayed here.’

‘The young man who got shot was an off-duty police officer.’

‘Is he dead?’

‘Thankfully no. He’s got cuts and bruises over his chest and stomach, which are no doubt painful. In some ways it’s his lucky day as the shotgun cartridge was loaded with rice – lead pellets would have killed him at that range. The next person who crosses their path might not be so lucky,’ he said intentionally.

He wanted to gauge Fiona’s reaction and see if, after recounting the terrible event, she’d still be willing to assist the investigation.

‘Then let’s hope you catch the bastards and I can identify the driver before anyone else gets hurt. You want another Scotch?’