POLICE have welcomed the lengthy jail sentences handed out to the men who took part in an armed robbery in Kelso.

Steven Modeste, 39, James Irvine, 54, and Anthony Kimber, 43, were caged for a total of 26 years on Friday at the High Court in Edinburgh.

They used a taser gun on Jacqui Young, who was 14 weeks pregnant at the time, and co-worker Alexandra McMurray, who said she was so scared by what was happening, she "played dead".

The robbers made off with four days worth of takings, a charity collection and staff incentive money, totalling around £7,300.

An extensive police investigation was subsequently launched, led by detectives from CID and which resulted in the arrest of the three men.

Modeste was sentenced to eight years, Irvine for nine-and-a-half, and Kimber for nine years.

Detective Inspector Paul Batten said: “These men showed no compassion for their victims and turned to violence with alarming ease.

“They have now been removed from the community and I wish to take this opportunity to recognise the tremendous amount of work that went into this investigation.

“Armed robberies are rare for the Scottish Borders and it’s fair to say that it shocked many local residents.

“I want to thank them for their unwavering support throughout the course of this investigation. Needless to say we will not tolerate this sort of reckless behaviour and will use all resources at our disposal to ensure anyone involved in this criminal activity is swiftly arrested and brought before the courts.”

A jury returned guilty verdicts on charges of armed robbery, illegal possession of a stun gun and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Passing sentence, Lady Carmichael said: "All three of you have been convicted of serious offences - the most serious one was the robbery in charge two.

"It involved not just the threat of violence. What marks it out is the actual use of a stun gun on two women.

"This assault was particularly distressing as it led to concerns for her unborn child."