Two men who carried out a “terrifying” late night robbery at the home of two elderly women have been jailed for a total of almost 15 years.
Brandon Boyd, 26, and Conor Clark, 27, were described as “buzzed up” following the raid at the farmhouse in Dumfries on June 13, 2019.
One of the victims was so scared, she pretended to have a seizure hoping the men would leave them alone.
On Monday, Boyd and Clark returned to the High Court in Glasgow having earlier admitted being involved in the assault and robbery of where Margaret Muir, 89, and 69-year-old Mary Copmartin stayed.
The duo had initially denied the crime and gone on trial until a former co-accused gave evidence against them.
Lord Fairley jailed Boyd, of Mauchline, Ayrshire, for six years and ten months.
Clark, of Dumfries, was sentenced to eight years after jurors heard the raid had been his idea.
The judge told them: “The expressions of remorse you have apparently since expressed are very difficult to reconcile to the trial that I observed.
“Your expressions of regret for what you did have been a very long time in coming and I attach very little weight to them.
“This was a despicable and cowardly crime which was an affront to civilised society.”
Ms Muir had lived at the farmhouse for several decades and had recently been widowed.
The women were asleep when the duo and an accomplice smashed their way in, with one armed with a crowbar.
The victims had their hands and arms bound with cable ties as the robbers rummaged through the house.
They eventually got their hands on a large haul of jewellery, watches, cash and mobile phones.
The court heard a number of the items were of great sentimental value to Ms Muir.
She was unfit to give evidence during the trial, but moving statements she gave to police were read to jurors.
Ms Muir stated: “I would not want this to happen to anyone else. It was awful.
“It was the most horrible thing to have happened in my life. I was terrified.”
Calvin Patterson, 24, had initially been in the dock with the pair facing a total of nine charges.
But, he was acquitted after the accusations were withdrawn against him.
He went on to become a prosecution witness in the case.
Patterson said Clark – a convicted housebreaker – had later spoken of a plan to rob the farmhouse.
He went on to collect both Clark, Boyd and another in his car on the night of the crime.
Patterson drove to a garden centre near the house before later returning to collect them.
He told the trial: “They got in the car. They were pretty buzzed up.
“I asked what they got and they said they got a lot of gold and money.
“They said one of the women was acting as if she was having a heart attack, but that she was alright.”
Patterson told how he dropped the robbers off and they got into Boyd’s car.
Clark later contacted Patterson via an encrypted messenger app.
Prosecutor Victoria Dow asked: “Did he mention what they were going to do with what was taken?”
Patterson replied: “Split it. I was to get £3000, but I got a £1000. “
John Scullion QC, defending Boyd, said he had made an “extremely poor decision” by getting involved.
Clark’s QC Thomas Ross told the court: “The offence is very troubling especially with the age of the women.
“He says he is embarrassed by his conduct and clearly he should be.”
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