A burglar who broke into a couple’s flat in the middle of the night and bit them, fled after they hit him over the head with a frying pan, a court has heard.
Darren Gowran, 26, forced his way into the couple’s home in the shadow of Stirling Castle when they were asleep at 1.30am.
Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that the door entry system to the block of modern flats was out of operation and access to the common close was insecure.
Prosecutor Sarah Smith said the couple were both woken by the sound of “loud kicking at the front door”.
The man found Gowran in the hallway, holding his partner’s handbag.
He confronted Gowran, who hit him in the face, and a violent struggle ensued as Gowran tried to get the woman’s purse out of the handbag.
Miss Smith said: “As a result of the accused struggling violently with [the man], his partner obtained a frying pan from the kitchen and struck the accused on the back of the head with it.”
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The couple both continued to grapple with Gowran, who at one point grabbed the woman by the hair and pulled it.
Miss Smith said that as Gowran continued to struggle violently with both, he bit them both on their rights forearms, piercing the skin, before running out of the flat and escaping – without either the handbag or the purse.
The shocked and shaken couple contacted their daughter, who called the police.
Miss Smith, the depute fiscal, said they were both left with “visible semi-circular marks on the forearm”.
The incident occurred at the couple’s home on Cowane Street, Stirling, on March 14 this year.
Gowran, of Stirling, who appeared by video link from Low Moss Prison, Bishopbriggs, pleaded guilty to housebreaking, and assaulting the couple to their injury.
He also admitted assaulting and injuring another man in a separate incident at his mother’s home in Balfour Street, Stirling, at 5.30am the same day, by throwing a glass candle holder at him, which struck Mr Tardite on the head.
He then repeatedly punched him.
The victim suffered a fractured eye socket. Gowran was arrested later.
Sheriff Christopher Shead deferred sentence for reports.
He said: “A custodial sentence of some length is inevitable.”
Gowran was remanded in custody.
Defence solicitor Fraser McCready reserved mitigation.
