Bar boss's terror as robber pistol-whips him and steals cash

A bar manager has told how he was pistol-whipped when armed robbers burst in and snatched the takings in West Hampstead.

Ian Black, 35, was smashed around the head with the weapon by one of two gunmen who targeted The Gallery in Broadhurst Gardens soon after closing time on Sunday night.

As Mr Black's two colleagues were ordered to the floor, one of the raiders told him to open the safe with the weekend's takings. "We had just closed at 11.30 and were clearing up when they walked in. They took the staff through the bar up towards the kitchen.

"A colleague told me we were being held up and I walked out of the office, asking him what he was talking about. One of the men pushed a gun at me and said, 'Open the safe and give me the money'. Then they both cocked their guns.

"I got this adrenaline rush. At first I was looking around the office for a weapon. It quickly goes through your mind but then you think, 'They have a gun and it is probably better to do what they say'. We were all in shock, hoping these men wouldn't shoot us. It was a pretty terrifying experience.

"But it is more surreal than anything - we were just thinking, 'Are they going to shoot?' And whether they would shoot us dead.

"One of the gunmen wasn't wearing a mask and I was wondering why not. He hit me with the gun on the head, mainly to knock me out and get me on the floor. One of the guys ordered us to empty our pockets."

Mr Black said he believed the raid was planned, and that the men had been lurking at a nearby bus stop, waiting for customers to leave before they pounced. He said: "This is a really nice area. This is really out of the blue. But the important thing is no one was killed."

He plans to write to Camden council demanding improvements to local street lighting, which he hopes will deter criminals from loitering. Police said no arrests had been made.