Ex-soldier bound and robbed OAP in her home while on the run

An ex-army sniper robbed a terrified pensioner in her home while on the run from prison.

Garry Roughley, 39, pounced on the woman after lying in wait outside her house in Dunfermline, Fife on May 4, 2018.

He bound and gagged the 76-year-old widow, stole jewellery and bank cards, and cut phone lines before fleeing the scene. She was only rescued when a concerned neighbour found her.

Roughley remained at large for more than two years despite a large-scale police probe and a Crimewatch TV appeal.

But, detectives got a tip-off he was in Glasgow last July before he was eventually caught in Newcastle.

Serial criminal Roughley could now face a life sentence after he pled guilty on Wednesday, April 21, to six charges including the assault and robbery.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how the victim had returned from dinner with friends when Roughley struck.

He had recently absconded from HMP Thorn Cross in Cheshire where he had been serving a sentence for burglary.

The court was told how the pensioner was grabbed while outside the house and ordered to her knees. The attacker – armed with a knife – yelled: “Woman…shut up and you will not get hurt.”

The OAP was forced inside, blindfolded and had her hands bound with cable ties.

Prosecutor Eric Robertson told the court: “He asked was there a man in the house, but she told him her husband had died.

“He then said: ‘There was someone here last night’.”

He demanded the PIN numbers for her bank cards threatening he would “return” if he did not get them.

Roughley went on to slap tape and cloth over his victim’s mouth also tying her legs to a chair. He then raced off with items from the house.

A neighbour was suspicious when he noticed a light on in the OAP’s home late at night. He went on to discover her still tied to the chair. The jewellery stolen included rings, a brooch, a pearl necklace and a watch.

The robber was linked to a stolen Vauxhall Mokka and £200 being withdrawn using a stolen bank card at a local ATM. The robbery went on to feature on BBC’s Crimewatch in 2019 and there was a further media appeal last year.

Roughley emerged as a suspect and he was seen in Glasgow’s Bridgeton using a different name in July 2020. He was eventually held for the robbery in October last year after being arrested in Newcastle.

Prosecutors have moved for a full-risk assessment to be carried out on Roughley, which could lead to an Order for Lifelong Restriction being imposed.

His convictions included kidnapping, burglary and theft. Lady Scott adjourned the case until May 18 in Edinburgh.