A violent robber has been jailed after he broke into his former landlord’s home and pinned the man down while brandishing a piece of broken glass.
Stephen Rachwal smashed his way in to Robert Smith’s home in Dundee’s Kenmore Terrace on May 26, then used a long shard of glass from breaking the window to threaten the victim.
Police raced to the scene in response to a 999 call and found Rachwal with Mr Smith pinned to the sofa, clutching £50 that he had taken in one hand, and the glass in another.
When police ordered him to drop the makeshift weapon, he refused to do so and had to be hauled off by officers.
Fiscal depute Vicki Bell told Dundee Sheriff Court: “Police responded to a 999 call and found the door fully ajar and saw smashed glass on the floor.
“They saw the complainer lying on his back on the sofa with the accused sitting on his legs appearing to prevent him from moving.
“The accused had a sum of money in various notes clutched in his right fist.
“Clenched in his left fist was the long shard of broken glass.
“He was immediately ordered to drop the shard which he refused to do.”
Rachwal, 27, a prisoner at Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of robbery.
Defence solicitor Douglas McConnell said: “He had been renting a room from this man, who was a friend.
“He believed he still had clothes there but also that he had paid rent that he should get back.
“That’s what this was about — he had been locked out but he broke in and took it.”
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael jailed Rachwal for 22 months.
He said: “This is a serious offence.”
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