Alistair Rankin, 46, feared he’d be blown up after being kidnapped at gunpoint by Andy Patrick, who, bizarrely, spoke in a Polish accent, and forced him to carry what he thought was an explosive device.
The dad-of-one was told to go into a bank in Kirkcaldy, Fife, with the dummy bomb and pass over a note demanding money.
He was handed almost £10,000 but when he returned to his taxi Patrick, who is actually from nearby Lochgelly, had gone.
The robbery sparked a massive three-week long man hunt involving armed police, a bomb disposal team, air support and a dog unit.
Alistair, and his 44-year-old wife, Tracey, had to flee their home in Cowdenbeath in the wake of the incident in November, amid fears they’d been caught up in an organised heist involving eastern European gangsters.
The couple have never before spoken publicly about their ordeal.
Alistair, who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder symptoms, said: “My life changed that day. It’s going to take years to get over it.
“For most of the journey to the bank Patrick was on the phone to someone. It’s always been my suspicion he was working with someone else. It’s terrifying to think they might still be at large.”
Astonishingly, Alistair – praised by police for his handling of the situation – has already returned to driving taxis.
That’s despite it being the second time he’s been hijacked in a vehicle.
In 2000 a teenager armed with a knife jumped into his car in Cowdenbeath and ordered Alistair to run over two police officers.
He eventually escaped at a police roadblock and the teenager was arrested.
Alistair said: “When Patrick pulled the gun out on me and told me to go the bank I just thought to myself ‘here we go again. I can’t believe this is happening to me’.”
It was a glorious November morning when Alistair headed to Cowdenbeath Taxi Services, where he’d worked on and off since he was 17, unaware his life would be turned upside down a few hours later.
After checking in he headed to the taxi rank in Cowdenbeath’s High Street.
Just after 1.30pm a call came in to pick up a “group of Polish men” at Lochgelly Industrial Estate.
There were other drivers in front of Alistair but because he knew the area very well he was dispatched.
But when he arrived there was no-one to be seen. As he was about to phone his base, a man opened the door and sat in the back.
Little did Alistair know it was the start of what would be the most terrifying 90 minutes of his life.
Alistair added: “He seemed strange. I couldn’t see him at all and had been expecting a few of them.
“He spent the entire 15 minute journey speaking on the phone in what sounded like Polish.
“When we got to the industrial estate he didn’t seem to know where he was going.
“He eventually asked me to pull over next to the Bank of Scotland and hung up the phone.”
It was at that point the mysterious passenger, who was heavily disguised in a baseball cap, scarf and sunglasses, brandished a handgun and revealed himself as a bank robber.
Alistair said: “The first thing he said to me was I had to ‘turn off all devices’.
“I have two phones – a personal one that was in my pocket and a work one on the dashboard.
“I turned off my work phone but kept my personal one in my pocket and managed to get it to phone back the last number I dialled – that turned out to be my work.
“I was petrified I was going to be caught.”
Horrified colleagues heard the unfolding drama and alerted boss Willie MacDonald, 56, a long-time friend of Alistair’s, to what they thought was a “hostage situation”.
He sped to Cowdenbeath Police Station to alert officers.
They were unaware Alistair would soon be an unwilling participant in a bank heist.
Alistair said: “I said to him ‘what have I done to you to deserve this?’ He just said ‘do as you are told and you will be safe’.”
It was now that the hijacker – speaking with a Eastern European accent – passed Alistair a holdall and told him there was a bomb in it.
He was then ordered to go into the bank – with the bag – and hand over a typewritten note.
Chillingingly, the passenger warned him he was being watched.
Alistair described the 150-yard, two-minute walk to the Kirkcaldy branch of Bank of Scotland as the “longest walk of my life”.
He said: “I tried to alert staff at a burger van that I was being held captive but I didn’t want to stop in case it drew attention to me.
“I thought I was carrying a bomb, but it never crossed my mind to throw it away. The area was too busy with people and I didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths.”
Alistair said he continually thought of his cherished family as he approached the bank, passing three men outside.
He believed they were part of the criminal conspiracy.
That day, the bank was busy raising money for Children In Need and the Helpdesk was manned by a heavily-pregnant teller dressed as Pudsey Bear.
Alistair said: “I passed her the note and watched her face drop.
“I still see her face every day – it haunts me.”
Alistair said he didn’t know what the note said as he “was too scared to read it”.
Over the next 15 minutes frantic bank staff told him to wait while they filled the bag with cash.
They told him there was a delay caused by a timer on the main safe.
In the background Alistair – battling to remain calm – saw bank workers flee the building.
Alistair said: “My thoughts turned to my wife, Tracey, and son, Sean. I hoped I’d get through it for them.”
Unbeknown to Alistair, the typed note he had passed menacingly read: “There is a transmitter in your bank and the lines are wired. We can hear you and know if you try to call police. There is a bomb strapped to this man – also in the bag. They can go off if transmitters detect signal or call.”
The note also said staff should not “panic” and that once money was received, Alistair would return to “deactivate the bombs”.
It ended: “You have four mins to fill this bag.”
Despite the warning a member of the bank activated a security alarm.
But by this time police were already following up Willie’s claims Alistair was being held a hostage.
Alistair said: “When the manager came out the final time she said it was going to be OK, police were waiting outside.
“An amazing feeling of relief swept over me.”
But the reprieve wasn’t to last.
Alistair made the journey back to his cab unable to spot any officers and under the belief a masked gunman was waiting for him.
But when he got back, the hijacker had fled empty-handed seemingly spooked by the delay in getting the £10,000 in stolen cash.
Immediately picking up the mobile in his pocket, Alistair was greeted by a police officer on the other end. He told him to get out the taxi and lift up his T-shirt, showing officers there was no bomb strapped to him. As he did, an unmarked police car approached.
Alistair joked: “One of them said ‘I’d know that big belly anywhere’.
“It was one of my friends who I’ve known for 40 years!”
The two detectives asked Alistair to get in their car with the bag, bomb and money.
They then sped off to nearby golf course, Dunnikier Park in Kirkcaldy.
It was here they waited for a specialist bomb disposal unit to dismantle it.
Disposal experts were called but the believable looking explosives turned out to be fake – made up of tubes, cotton wool and a mobile phone circuit board.
Meanwhile, officers had contacted Alistair’s wife Tracey to tell her he’d been involved in an “incident” but was now safe.
It was only later when she heard the 5pm radio news that she came to the startling realisation he had been forced to rob a bank.
Tracey, 44, who has been married to Alistair for 12 years, said: “I was petrified. I called police who said me and my family should be moved to a safe house.”
After a gruelling six-hour interview, an exhausted Alistair was finally reunited with his family.
And while he nursed no injuries, the mental battering he took is going to take some time to get over.
Tracey said: “He’s definitely changed. He’s always been a laid back guy but he’s very snappy now.
“He doesn’t eat and barely sleeps.
“We all just hope he’ll get back to normal eventually.”
The family are to set to move home in what they hope will mark a “fresh start”.
Alistair says: “It’s obviously had a real impact on my life.
“My friends, family and colleagues have been very supportive and it means a lot. I especially want to thank Linda, David and Nicole and the people of Kelty.”
Police originally came under criticism for their failure to catch the culprit.
Despite a dozen CCTV cameras covering the bank, spooked Patrick was able to escape the crime scene.
It took cops more than a month to catch up with him.
Alistair said: “It was like a movie – a bad one.
“I still have questions about why he pretended to be Polish and who he was speaking to on the cab ride but I’m glad he was finally caught.”
Patrick pled guilty last month and will be caged in May.
Tracey added: “Whatever he gets it won’t be enough.
“He put Alistair through hell.”
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