A married couple assaulted and conspired to rob a 86-year-old man and marched him to his bank to withdraw cash in Perth.
Alan and Louise Marshall took their elderly victim to their home in rural Perthshire, where he undressed and had his photo taken.
The Marshalls then threatened him and demanded he hand over £300.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the couple drove him back to Perth in his Kia Sportage.
Mrs Marshall, 43, then escorted him to his Virgin Money branch on High Street.
Concerned staff raised the alarm when they noticed the man was “panicky”, with his clothes ruffled, as he asked to take money from his credit card account “to pay his cleaner”.
Police were contacted and the Marshalls’ bungalow in Kinrossie was raided.
Investigators found the old man’s boxer shorts in one of the bedrooms.
‘Despicable crime’
Alan and Louise Marshall, now of Nimmo Place, Perth, denied allegations they assaulted and robbed their victim on September 27 2021 but a jury convicted them of assault after a three-day trial.
But allegations the pair repeatedly pushed the pensioner, brandished a hammer at him and threatened to set a dog on him were dropped.
The Marshalls were also cleared of robbing their victim of an initial £300, before taking him to the bank to withdraw more cash.
Sheriff Jennifer Bain told the pair: “You have been convicted of a despicable crime by a jury of your peers.
“I will defer sentence for reports.
“You should take that as no indication of what the ultimate sentence might be.
“All options are open to the court.”
Victim’s statement
The elderly victim was unable to give evidence but his police statement given on the day of the crime was read out to jurors.
He told PC Gillian Robertson he visited Ladbrokes on South Methven Street most days to place bets.
“Yesterday (September 26), I was in the bookies and got speaking to a female.
“She was chatting away, I see her around.
“Today, I was outside the bookies when a male, who I often speak to, came and spoke to me.
“He knew I what been speaking to his wife, the female from yesterday.”
Mr Marshall, 45, asked the OAP to drive him to his then home in Mercat Green, Kinrossie.
The man agreed and Mrs Marshall was picked up en route, at Scone.
“I went into the house with both the male and female and they asked me to go into a bedroom,” the man told police.
“I did this, I took my jacket off, I don’t remember if I took anything else off.”
He said the couple then began demanding £300.
“I was really frightened and scared,” he said in his statement.
“The male… took my keys and told me he would drive me back to the bank.”
‘That dodgy old b******’
After parking in a disabled bay next to High Street: “The female walked me around as the male told her to make sure I got money.
“I went into the bank and I was confused and scared, so they called the police.”
In a follow-up statement, the man told police: “The male took a photo of me and he said I touched his wife, which I didn’t.”
After police searched the house and recovered the victim’s shorts, Mr Marshall was cautioned.
“That dodgy old b******,” he replied.
When interviewed, Mrs Marshall admitted the man had been at their house and had been “in a state of undress.”
Altercation outside bank
Bank clerk Rory Pennycook, 26, told jurors the pensioner came into the bank just before closing time.
“When we were closing the doors, I saw an elderly gentleman outside having an altercation with four people.
“It looked like they were pushing him around.
“He came in and was asking for £300 from his credit card.
“I thought that was a bit suspicious.”
Mr Pennycook said: “He was quite shaken up and was struggling to get his words out.”
Other staff told the trial the man, a regular customer, was “very distressed” and “panicky.”
They said his clothing was wrongly buttoned and he said he needed cash to pay his cleaner.
Workers said they saw a woman hovering at the door, looking inside.
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