Gleneagles £500,000 Rolex robbery 'like a film shoot'

The Mappin and Webb boutique at Gleneagles Hotel was targeted

A guest of a luxury hotel has told a court that seeing an armed robbery there was like watching "a film shoot".

Patricia James, 58, said she and her partner were leaving Gleneagles in Perthshire when she saw a group of masked men emerging from an Audi car.

She told the High Court in Edinburgh she was standing at the front door of the hotel at the time.

Richard Fleming, 42, of London, denies armed robbery and other charges relating to the £516,750 raid.

High value Rolex watches were taken from a boutique at the hotel on 27 June 2017.

Ms James said in evidence that she was waiting for her partner William Goldie to collect his Alfa Romeo from the car park of the five star hotel.

She told prosecution lawyer Jane Farquharson: "Initially I thought it was some sort of film shoot.

"I thought there was filming going on and the hotel forgot to tell us that it was happening.

"I didn't know what to do with myself. I heard shouting and I remember thinking to myself that this was something more than a film shoot."

'Gun threat'

She said an Audi headed towards the front door at speed, stopped suddenly and then reversed a short distance.

A man emerged from the back of the car and he was joined by other men, she said.

"He had on a black outfit. He had a hood over his head and a Halloween face mask.

"He was carrying a heavy hammer. He ran past me and up the front steps and into the hotel."

Mrs James said she also saw the men get back into the Audi car - and said one of them threatened a Gleneagles employee who tried to speak to them.

She said: "The window was down or lowered and the person in the back pointed a gun.

"He warned the Gleneagles employee to stay back or he would shoot. I believe he swore."

The car then left the scene.

Another witness, Mrs Agnes Whetton, 62, told the court that she and a group of friends had gone to the hotel for afternoon tea and a "behind the scenes" tour.

She told Ms Farquharson that she saw two masked men who were dressed in black and carrying weapons, rush past her.

Mrs Whetton said that she and her friend decided to leave the scene, and got into the car of other friends who were parking nearby.

She said: "We got into the car and before we could get the door shut, we shouted 'drive' and she pulled away.

"I didn't know what was going on but I didn't want to be there."

Mrs Whetton said they gave statements to the police later in the day.

She added: "Once we finished giving our statements we got a mini tour to calm us down but we never had afternoon tea because we weren't in a mood for eating."

The jurors have been told that another man called Liam Richardson had earlier pleaded guilty to participating in the Gleneagles robbery.

Special defence

Mr Fleming has pleaded not guilty to a charge which states he committed the armed robbery at the hotel on June 27 2017.

It is alleged that, acting with others, he assaulted a number of employees, brandishing a pistol and smashed display cabinets.

Mr Fleming has lodged a special defence of alibi maintaining that at the time, he was in Parkhead, Glasgow.

The trial, which is being heard before judge Lady Carmichael, continues.