Man pleads guilty to murder attempt after brutal attack on grandmother

By GRANT MCCABE
Published on 10/11/2012 02:44

A MAN has admitted attempting to murder a grandmother who was left with horrific ­injuries following a raid on her home.

Mary Coulter sustained slash wounds to her face and broken arms after being attacked at her property in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, in March this year.

The 76-year-old’s brutal assault resulted in her daughter making a tearful public appeal to catch the culprits.

Yesterday, Derek Clark admitted the attempted murder of Mrs Coulter when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. The 32-year-old was remanded in custody and faces a lengthy jail term when he is sentenced next month.

Mrs Coulter was left badly ­disfigured after Clark and two accomplices went in search of the pensioner’s son, Ronnie.

They burst their way into her home in Overtown, Wishaw on 22 March and ploughed through rooms looking for Mr Coulter.

His defenceless mother was instead subjected to a brutal ­assault leading to her spending weeks in hospital.

She required an emergency blood transfusion and facial 
reconstructive surgery. Clark’s QC, Ian Duguid, ­entered a guilty plea on Clark’s behalf.

Darryl Finnie, 27, and a 29-year-old man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had also faced the attempted murder allegation. The pair instead pled guilty to conspiring to ­inflict injury on Ronnie Coulter in connection with the raid on Mrs Coulter’s home.

Clark and the 29-year-old were remanded in custody while Finnie, of Carluke, South Lanarkshire, had his bail continued.

Judge Lord Turnbull deferred the case until next month for reports.