THE MANHUNT for Colin Douglas gripped residents of Weymouth and Portland following the terrifying events of March 2.

Wearing a balaclava, Douglas walked into the Londis Shop and Post Office on Abbotsbury Road with a rifle in broad daylight and forced cashiers to hand over £28,000 as shoppers and schoolchildren looked on.

After leaving with the cash in a brown bag, Douglas set off in a red Nissan Almera but was confronted by police as he turned into Benville Road near the Fiveways junction.

In a desperate attempt to get away, Douglas – who was unmasked at this stage – reversed his car into a road sign then pointed his rifle at an officer who approached the vehicle.

He then hijacked a Saab convertible car belonging to Hazel Coleman and made his getaway.

Over the next 55 hours police launched one of their biggest operations in recent years as officers searched tirelessly for the gunman.

Appeals were made through the media and the public were warned not to approach Douglas, who was described as a ‘violent and dangerous man’.

Police eventually got their man following a dramatic high speed chase through Weymouth and out towards Broadmayne.

Douglas crashed the Vauxhall Vectra car he was then driving half a mile from the village and made a run for it into nearby woodland, where he was apprehended by officers.

The following day police discovered a loaded long-barrelled rifle in the woodlands where Douglas had been chased by police.

Following the successful capture of the suspect, Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Stanger who led the police operation praised the bravery of police involved in the chase and thanked the public and the media for their co-operation.

Over the Ridgeway in Dorchester, police had been hunting the perpetrator of a burglary and arson attack at the Dorchester Waste Paper Unit on the Casterbridge Industrial Estate, which left the family-run business totally destroyed.

In April Douglas was charged with those offences, although he initially denied them and was found guilty following a trial in September.

Other offences Douglas admitted included theft of prescription drugs from Boots pharmacy in Portland Road, Weymouth, committed between February 11 and February 15, a burglary at Clearmount Road in Weymouth on February 19 and the theft of a Toyota Hilux jeep on February 22.

It also emerged in April that Douglas was to be charged with a shocking robbery of Portland taxi driver Derrick Thorner, which took place just five days before the Abbotsbury Road robbery.

Mr Thorner had a gun pointed to his face, was robbed of cash and other items and tied up before being left in his garage as Douglas sped off in his taxi. Again Douglas denied committing the offences but was found guilty at a trial this week.

All that remains is for him to be sentenced for a total of 18 offences, including two charges of robbery, possessing a firearm to commit an offence and aggravated vehicle taking.

Community stepped up to confront real danger

THE police chief who led the search for Colin Douglas said the community ‘stepped up to the plate when it mattered’.

Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Stanger commended the bravery of officers, victims and witnesses after hearing the guilty verdict.

He said: “This is about the community of Weymouth standing up to a very dangerous man – from members of the public providing information before his arrest to people who have given evidence against a man who is a significant danger.”

Det Chief Supt Stanger remembered his officers tracking Douglas down in the woods opposite Whitcombe Stables after three days on the run.

“The officers are trained and armed but they were going into a dark wood at night to find a man who they knew was armed.

“They arrested him without injuring him so what they did was hugely brave.”

Det Chief Supt Stanger thanked the Echo for the coverage when Stanger was arrested and has reiterated his thanks.

He said: “The Echo is part of the community here and as a result of the community pulling together we were able to do our job.

“It’s like I said before about the work that the Echo did and the way we all came together.”

“This is a significant result there’s no doubt about it and hopefully now Weymouth and Dorchester will be a much safer place with the likelihood of him getting a significant prison sentence.

Det Chief Supt Stanger added: “I want to thank all those people who’ve stood up and been counted and police officers who made the arrest. It’s been a tremendous operation and to have convictions on all offences is outstanding.”