A gang who carried out a terrifying knifepoint robbery in a quiet Forfar cul-de-sac have been jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years.
Meghann Beckers, Scott Dolan and Alexander Sangster were convicted by a jury of bursting into a flat on Bell Place late on November 16 last year after concocting a plan to steal two off-road motorbikes.
The balaclava-clad robbers assaulted the occupants of the flat and Dolan held a knife to one victim’s throat before they were warned they would be stabbed if they attempted to leave or call police.
The incident sparked a major police response after the group carried out the raid and sped off on the stolen bikes, which have not been seen since.
Amid a heavy security presence, they appeared in the dock at Forfar Sheriff Court for sentencing yesterday.
Solicitor Bob Bruce, for 27-year-old Beckers, described as a prisoner at Edinburgh, said his client had “not been dealt the best set of cards”.
She had a history of injecting illegal drugs and is now on a methadone programme, the court was told.
Mr Bruce said his client could not have reasonably foreseen that knives would be used and threats made.
The court heard Dolan, 26, of Don Street, and Sangster, 20, Dundee Loan, both Forfar, continued to maintain their innocence but recognised custody was inevitable in light of the jury’s verdict.
Sheriff Gregor Murray told Beckers: “I accept fully you have a troubled background. You have a long criminal record but this is the first conviction on indictment.”
Beckers was jailed for two years with a one-year supervised release order to run from the conclusion of the jail sentence.
The sheriff told Dolan that, despite maintaining his innocence, the jury had convicted him of a “calculated plan to gain entry to the flat, wearing a balaclava and armed with a knife”.
He added:“You held a knife to the throat of one of the individuals.
“You have a significant record, including three times being in possession of a knife in a public place. This is an escalation of your offending.”
He jailed Dolan for three-and-a-half years, with a one-year supervised release order.
Turning to Sangster, Sheriff Murray said: “It is significant you had prior knowledge of the motorcycles and you must have been instrumental in the plans being hatched.”
He said criminal justice reports had revealed Sangster’s “fascination with motor vehicles of all kinds”.
The sheriff ordered him to serve three years behind bars, with a one-year supervised release order.