A BALLET dancer today told of his terror after a knife thug threatened to kill him during a botched robbery.

 

Jamie Shields, 19, had a blade put to his face during the mugging as he waited for a train at a Glasgow station.

The thug grabbed the teenager and demanded he hand over his wallet, phone and rucksack.

But brave Jamie today revealed how adrenaline and instinct kicked in.

He said: "It came out of nowhere, it was so surreal, I didn't have time to think. There was a knife and he told me to hand over my stuff.

"Then I hurled my rucksack at him, hitting him in the face, and I managed to get away. But he followed me."

Jamie, a ballet student at the Royal Conservatoire, bolted from Pollokshields East station and along Albert Drive, in a bid to escape.

"I've never run so fast in my life", he said. "He was shouting after me 'I'm going to kill you'. It was terrifying.

"I only looked back once and all I could see was his eyes. He had a hood up and a scarf covering his face.

"I just kept running and running until I lost him."

Jamie, from East Kilbride, has been dancing since he was 15, and was inspired to get involved in ballet after seeing the Billy Elliot stage show.

He had been performing at the nearby Tramway Theatre before the attack.

He went to the station to travel home, at around 6.30pm on December 3, and spotted the suspect loitering at the stop of the stations steps.

Jamie said: "I noticed him hanging about but didn't think much about it.

"After what happened, it became clear he was waiting to get someone on their own, while the station was quiet.

"Maybe someone saw him hanging about, or has seen him since, and it might help police catch up with him."

The suspect is described as 5ft 10in tall, slim build with dark skin and brown eyes.

He was wearing a black hooded jacket, a black scarf covering his face, grey trousers and white training shoes.

Police are also examining CCTV footage from the station and surrounding area in a bid to track the movements of the thug.

After the chase, the suspect fled empty-handed, and Jamie managed to get his rucksack, and all his personal belongings, back.

Call British Transport Police on 080 40 50 40 or text 61016.