Police found doctor bound and bleeding, jury told (From South Wales Argus)

Police found doctor bound and bleeding, jury told

12:20pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News By Ruth Mansfield

POLICE officers found a Newport doctor tied up, lying motionless on the floor and bleeding from the face following an emergency call to the house, a jury was told yesterday.

In statements read out at Cardiff Crown Court during the trial of Edward Donovan and Rhiannon Gibbons, police officers described arriving at the home of Dr Prana Das and his wife, Dr Nishebita Das, in Catsash, Newport, on the morning of September 9 to find them both tied up.

Dr Prana Das was found suffering injuries including bleeding in the eye and swelling and bleeding on his lips and nose.

Blood was also found splattered on bedding in a second bedroom of the house and police officers described having to use a kitchen knife to cut ties which had been used on the couple.

The court previously heard Dr Prana Das was diagnosed with bleeding on the brain and is unlikely to recover.

Donovan, 51, of Windmill Square, Commercial Road, and Gibbons, 27, of Newport Hotel, ChepstowRoad, both of Newport, are both standing trial charged with 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. The incident is alleged to have happened during the early hours of September 9 last year. They deny the charges.

The jury also heard a statement fromDetective Sergeant James Hill, who said he had been out running in Church Lane, Coedkernew, at around 6.30am on September 9 and saw a man and woman each carrying a plastic carrier bag.

He then described seeing in the near distance a BMW car on fire before hearing three loud bangs shortly after, which he took to be the vehicle exploding.

The jury previously heard items stolen during the incident included Nishebita Das’ BMW, later found burnt out, cash in sterling and foreign currency, a Nokia mobile phone, a gold-plated ornamental eagle and thousands of pounds’ worth of jewellery.

Proceeding