Newport doctor ‘hit with hammer' as terrified wife listened - court hears (From South Wales Argus)

Newport doctor ‘hit with hammer' as terrified wife listened - court hears

10:20am Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News

A DOCTOR was beaten with a hammer as his terrified wife listened on during a “horrific ordeal” at the hands of a couple who raided their home, a court heard.

Dr Prana Das and his wife, Dr Nishebita Das, were tied up, threatened with a knife and assaulted by the burglars, who broke into their home in Catsash, Newport, in the middle of the night, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor David Elias told a jury that Dr Das, who was beaten with a hammer, suffered bleeding to the brain – an injury so serious, he is unlikely to recover.

Mr Elias said partners Edward Donovan, 51, and Rhiannon Gibbons, 27, broke into the Das home on September 9. Sometime after 3.15am, Nishebita Das was woken by a man covering her mouth with his hand, saying: “I won’t hurt you, don’t shout.”

He asked her where her husband was and Mr Elias said: “She told him, in complete terror, that he was in another bedroom.”

He went to look for him, at which point a woman put a pillow case on Nishebita Das’ head and bound her hands.

She then heard the sound of her husband being attacked in his bedroom before he was brought into her room. At that point, the pillowcase was lifted from her face and she could see a masked man with her husband, whose face was covered in blood and had a knife held to his throat.

They demanded to knowthe whereabouts of a safe key, but Nishebita Das said they had nothing of value. Her face was covered again and her husband, the director of a company which runs care homes across Wales, was taken away. Mr Elias said: “She heard him crying out in pain. It was clear he was being assaulted.”

The court heard the couple were left tied to furniture and the robbers left in Nishebita Das’ BMW, later found burnt out, taking with them cash in sterling and foreign currency, a Nokia mobile phone, a goldplated ornamental eagle and jewellery. Police recovered a hammerfromthe house which had Prana Das’ blood on it.

Donovan, of Windmill Square, Commercial Road, and Gibbons, of Newport Hotel, Chepstow Road, both Newport, are accused of two counts of robbery, wounding Prana Das with intent, the unlawful wounding of Prana Das and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to Nishebita Das.

They deny the charges.

Proceeding