Two men in balaclavas who tried to rob a man on his own doorstep have been jailed for 40 months each.
Neil Hand, 29, and Sean Collins, 26, masked their faces and fought with Duncan Forbes, after knocking on his door as he put his children to bed.
Hand and Collins, both prisoners at Perth, only abandoned their attack when they learned there were children in the house.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court the men had been driving around the Linlathen area of Dundee on the evening of August 18.
The fiscal said: “They picked up a third person and said: ‘We’re going to do a job’.
“They then drove to Douglas and stopped outside a house. The two accused went inside and came out wearing balaclavas.”
Hand then drove them to Mr Forbes’ home in Aboyne Avenue.
The court was told that Hand said to the third person: “We’re going to rob somebody. We will grab the boy, you run in and grab the weed and money.”
Mr Forbes then heard a loud knock and opened the door and saw Collins in a balaclava before being grabbed by the neck.
The fiscal continued: “Mr Forbes began to fight and noticed Collins had a blade in his hand.
“He also became aware of Hand running towards him and shouted: ‘My kids are in the house’.
“The accused both seemed to react to this and retreated.”
Mr Forbes did not report the incident to police out of “panic” and “fear” for his children.
Jim Laverty, defending Hand, said his client accepted he was the catalyst for the robbery.
Hand and Collins admitted assaulting Duncan Forbes by lunging towards him, grabbing him by the neck, repeatedly struggling with him, presenting a knife at him and attempting to rob him, at Aboyne Avenue, on August 18.
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