By Laurie Watson

A Broughty Ferry mum last night told how she tackled a man as he attempted to steal her car on Monday night—then discovered he was a suspected armed robber.

Heather Wallace said she would not have been so brave in attacking the man had her mother’s ashes not been in the car.

The 50-year-old mother-of-two said she had been pottering about inside the house waiting for her eldest daughter to return home when she made her way to the front of the house with some rubbish at around 11pm. It was then she discovered a man, unknown to her, had walked through the porch entrance and into her home.

As the man entered her car she gave chase around the car and into the passenger seat, diving at the man sitting across from her.

Speaking to The Courier at home with her family last night, Mrs Wallace said in hindsight she could not quite believe her actions.

Having lost track of the time, she said her first instinct was that the man in her house was a contractor returning with a quote for some work, but as he reached for her car keys she quickly realised the significance of the situation.

She said, “I didn’t realise what time it was and as I looked at him I remember thinking: what are you doing in my house at this time of night?

“I think I reacted because my mum died a while ago and some of her ashes are inside a tin in the car. I was just thinking I didn’t want him to get away with my mum’s ashes. If it had just been my car without the ashes inside, I don’t think I would have been so bold.”

Mrs Wallace said she thought the man, whom she said never threatened her with a weapon, was more scared than her as the situation unfolded. She said, “When I first saw him in the house it felt like we just stared at each other for ten minutes, but it must have only been a few seconds.

“The next thing I knew he had my keys and was heading for my car so I gave chase. I shouted for my husband, who was upstairs sleeping, but I just dived over and started hitting him, but the man just took off out of the car and away down the street.”

A spokesperson for Tayside Police said they were keeping an open mind over the possibility she may have thwarted one of two gunmen who held up a hotel on the outskirts of Dundee on Monday night, given the proximity of Mrs Wallace’s house to the hotel.

He is described as being about 20 years old, 5ft 11in and was wearing a green hooded top and jeans. He had dirty blond wavy hair and blue eyes. He was seen heading off from the east of Broughty Ferry in a westerly direction.

The robbery at the Premier Travel Inn at Panmurefield Village occurred at 10.30pm, when a pair of men wearing masks and dark clothing threatened two members of staff with a firearm before robbing the premises of a small three-figure sum of money. The robbers were last seen running away from the hotel on foot and it is thought at least one of them unsuccessfully attempted to steal a vehicle in east Broughty Ferry.

It was the second armed robbery in the city in a matter of hours (see report on Page 11), but police have already ruled out a link between the two incidents. However, police are urging an anonymous man who contacted them regarding the hotel incident at around 8.15am yesterday to get back in touch.

The man, who may have vital information, can also anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A spokesperson for Tayside Police said, “We would appeal to anyone in the area who may have their own CCTV to get in touch. If anyone witnessed anything suspicious in the area in the early hours of the morning, they should also get in touch.

“We would also appeal to anyone living in the Panmurefield Village area, should they come across any items of clothing or property in their gardens or in the area they live, to notify police. We would also ask people to check that they have no missing clothing from their washing lines.”

A spokesperson for Premier Travel Inn said, “Staff were changing shift at 10.30pm when the incident happened. Two members of staff were confronted and were shaken but there were no injuries. Staff are assisting the police with inquiries.”

A police spokesperson said they are “keeping an open mind” over the possibility the latest incident may be linked to last week’s armed robbery at the Nether Inn pub in the centre of Dundee, when two armed robbers stole a four-figure sum of £1 coins.

Those with information can call police on 01382 223200 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.