A POST sub-master has hit out at the justice system as it emerged a violent robbery on his premises will go unsolved.

Farrukh Sair witnessed the £3,000 raid at the Post Office in Galashiels, during which his colleague was sprayed in the face with an aerosol can and threatened to be set on fire if he did not hand over the till takings.

David Connolly - who was previously jailed for four years and eight months for another post office raid - was cleared by a jury on a charge of assault and robbery.

But Police Scotland have now stated that they are not looking to speak to anyone in connection with the incident which effectively means the case is closed.

Mr Sair gave evidence against 31-year-old Connolly in his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh where he identified him as the perpetrator.

Connolly spent eight months in custody after being arrested in connection with the robbery on September 2. He was jailed for four years and eight months in 2006 for a post office robbery - where he regularly collected his giro - which had been carried out to fund his heroin addiction.

But at the High Court in Edinburgh in May, Connolly was found not guilty of the latest raid by the jury on an unanimous verdict.

Mr Sair, 30 - who has run the Gala Park Post Office in the quiet residential area for the past two years - said: “I am not happy at all about it.

“After giving evidence in court for several hours, I got a letter a week later to say the jury did not find the man guilty. I found it difficult to understand as I identified him as the man who was in the shop.

“It was a terrifying incident and when it went to the High Court I was glad because it meant it was being taken seriously and the man would get a longer jail sentence. I have still to find out the reason why he was found not guilty.

“I don’t know whether it was a technicality but there would have been enough evidence as my colleague’s clothes were taken away for analysis.” Connolly, whose last known address was Bright Street, Hawick, had denied a charge of assault and robbery.

Before the jury trial got underway his not guilty plea to a charge of theft from the Superdrug store in Hawick just 28 minutes before the Gala Park Post Office raid on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 2 was dropped.

Connolly’s legal team argued that there was no evidence of a car being involved and questioned how could he have been in Galashiels 18 miles away in such a short time span from a sighting in Hawick.

They said the Post Office staff were confused over their identification of Connolly stating they did not notice he had tattoos on his hands. DNA evidence proved inconclusive and as a result Connolly was found not guilty.

The experience and lack of conviction for the robbery leaves Mr Sair with little faith in the Scottish justice system. He said: “I am worried the message this sends out that it will be alright to do it again and nothing will happen. That they will simply get away with it.” A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “We are not looking to speak with anyone else in connection with this incident.”