By Eric Nicolson

MASKED RAIDERS attacked two members of staff at a Perth family restaurant late on Saturday night, inflicting severe head injuries on one of them.

The robbery happened just after midnight at The Maltings Restaurant, Dunkeld Road, on the outskirts of the city.

Three men made off with an undisclosed sum, believed to be takings from the till, heading back towards Perth on foot.

The detective leading the enquiry, Detective Sergeant Jim Smith, has described the assault and robbery as “cowardly” and a large squad of officers are now hunting the perpetrators.

The manager of the restaurant, which has a family play area, told The Courier that one of the assaulted staff members, a man, has sustained “quite severe head injuries.”

She added, “We’ve been asked by the police not to say anything because investigations are ongoing, but the rest of the staff are all fine and we’ll be open today as usual.”

A Tayside Police spokesperson said yesterday, “At approximately 12.05am today a robbery occurred at the Maltings Restaurant, Dunkeld Road, Perth, where two members of staff were assaulted and robbed of a sum of money.

“Three persons, believed to be males, entered the premises with their faces masked, threatened the staff members with violence and thereafter resorted to violence, causing one staff member to sustain an injury which required hospital treatment.

“The three masked persons made off on foot towards the rear of the Holiday Inn, past the Stratstone Land Rover garage, and followed a path parallel to the Perth to Inverness railway line.

“They have followed this path south to a bridge which leads to the Sandeman Court area. Their exact travel thereafter is not known.”

The three were described as 5 feet 7 inches, 5 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall, all thinly built and with dark hooded tops and face masks.

DS Smith would like to hear from any member of the public who may have seen the three persons in the area before the incident or who may have witnessed them running off.

“This was clearly a cowardly attack on two innocent persons going about their daily business and it is imperative that those responsible are traced,” he said.

Anyone with information should contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222, any police officer, or contact the Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police had taped off an area behind the restaurant and a small pathway on the Dunkeld Road.

Restaurant customers arriving for Sunday lunch, unaware of the previous night’s incident, were shocked to hear about it and to see police outside as they dined.

One customer said, “It’s quite frightening to think of violent criminals like that coming to a nice family place like this. I suppose there’s nowhere safe these days.”