Pub boss is tied to loo

A pub manager was left bound to a toilet for nine hours as customers carried on drinking just yards away. Gary Hopwood was tied to a loo in his living quarters above the Northgate pub in Oldham, Lancashire, by a knife-wielding raider. He had been due to take part in a darts competition in the pub, but instead spent nine hours trussed up with a belt and a scarf. The drama started when the 41-year-old licensee investigated a noise at the rear of the Sholver Lane premises, which had opened at 1pm. "When I opened the back door someone punched me in the face and I fell back onto the stairs," explained Hopwood. "They grabbed hold of me, forced me up the stairs, took me into the office and stole money." He explained: "I tried shouting for about six hours but no one could hear me with the music on downstairs. "I also tried to rip the toilet up but I couldn't even rock it to loosen it." It was not until 11.30pm that Hopwood's uncle, Peter Edwards, came to find him when staff wanted to lock up. The robber, who is believed to have had an accomplice, made off with £2,511. The manager was left with minor injuries after his ordeal. "I didn't panic. I was just thinking that someone would come up in a minute but they didn't ­ they just thought I was asleep." The knife-wielding raider, who wore a black woollen ski mask, is described as white, 6ft tall and of medium build. He also wore a dark, thin, waist-length jacket with white lining inside it, black shoes with a small Union Jack emblem on the outside, and white socks with blue hoops on the top. Host fights off raiders A landlord was left in shock after being attacked as he fought off armed robbers who struck at his pub. The two raiders, wearing stockings over their heads and carrying a sawn-off shotgun, burst into the Old Kings Head in Stock, Essex, after closing time. The 40-year-old landlord and a female bar worker were preparing to lock up when the attack happened last Monday. A raider pointed the gun at the landlord's head and demanded cash. He was then hit on the head with the butt of the weapon and ordered to lie on the floor next to the bar worker. A failed attempt was made to tie his hands, and after a struggle the raiders left empty-handed. The landlord was treated at hospital for bruising. The woman was left badly shaken but uninjured. A spokesman for Chelms-ford CID said: "The landlord is over his injuries but he is deeply shaken up by what has happened. He was not in a good way for a few days." The gunman is described as dark skinned, with facial hair, about 5ft 6ins tall, and wearing a light coloured hat. His accomplice was wearing a woollen hat. Anyone with information is asked to call Chelmsford CID on 01245 491212. Looters are sent to jail Two Glasgow brothers have been jailed for looting premises of kegs of beer, ice-making machines and a £5,000 coffee maker. David and Thomas McShane, of Toryglen, hauled out the gear in raids on an events venue, a pub, hotel, nightclub and offices in the city. A police source said: "It's as if they were trying to put together their own pub." Glasgow Sheriff Court heard 40-year-old David McShane and brother Thomas, 45, broke into the Ramada Hotel and carried out three kegs of beer. A box of light fittings was snatched from PricewaterhouseCoopers' offices. The pair stole ice-making machines from a refrigeration firm. They were caught on CCTV trying to raid a pub and club and were both jailed for nine months. David McShane committed the thefts while out on licence from jail for the 1983 stabbing murder of an 18-year-old student in a tower block in London's Kings Cross dubbed "The House of Horrors" after three killings. Thieves in ciggie raid Raiders broke into the Plough and Harrow, in Walsall, West Midlands, and looted a cigarette machine in the early hours of last Friday. The burglars entered the pub by breaking a window. A witness reported seeing a "two tone" car speeding from the scene following the break-in.