An elderly Tayside couple who were attacked and robbed in their own home last year have welcomed the news the culprit has been given more than six years in jail.
Brian Hill, 38, was sentenced for his role in the abduction and assault of Philip and Frances Youngs, who are in their 70s, at Broughty Ferry on November 14.
Hill, a prisoner in Perth jail, earlier admitted entering the house in Strathyre Avenue, with accomplice Ross Gillan, and brandishing a sword at the couple before locking them in a cupboard.
The pair made off with a haul of jewellery and cash, much of which was of sentimental value.
Mrs Youngs, who was at the High Court in Edinburgh for the sentencing hearing on Monday, said the crime was still affecting the family.
“Most of the items were never recovered,” she said.
“It’s comforting to know he can’t do this to anyone else while he’s in prison but so much of what was taken was sentimental and we’ll never get it back.
“It’s the lost memories from these things that hurt the most.
“We’re happy with the sentence, it’s reasonable.
“There’s nothing you can do other than move on though. You can’t lie down to these things.”
The couple were in the conservatory at their home on the evening of the robbery when they became aware of the men whose faces were partially hidden by scarves.
Mr Youngs initially thought it was his grandson and a friend playing a practical joke, but when he tried to pull down the scarf his hand was knocked away.
One of the intruders brandished a foot-long ornamental sword and the pair shouted: “Give us the money and you won’t get hurt. We know you have a lot of money in this house. Where is it?”
Hill went upstairs and began rummaging through drawers and cupboards before returning downstairs and demanding to know if there was a safe.
Mrs Youngs said there wasn’t one and took money from her purse. Cash was also taken from Mr Youngs’ wallet.
The couple were told to go into the bathroom and the door was locked behind them from the outside and a chair placed under the handle.
Among the items taken was Mr Youngs’ collection of rare coins and banknotes.
The robbers took a car which belonged to a carer and was later found abandoned in a car park in Dundee. Items of jewellery stolen during the robbery were found in the vehicle.
Mrs Youngs said one of the pieces she lost was a gold heart-shaped locket given to her by her husband in 1965.
Another was an item she had had since she was six years old.
Sentencing Hill to six years and four months, Lord Turnbull noted his criminal record included many offences of dishonesty.
He told him: “You have learned nothing from your years of association with the courts.”
The judge said Hill’s latest crime was callous and was aggravated by the fact it happened at the couple’s home.
Hill and Gillan were arrested on November 19 at Gillan’s home address in Byron Terrace, Dundee.
Gillan, 38, was previously jailed for four years and put under supervision for a further two years for his part in the robbery.
