Knife thug broke into couple’s home and threatened them in bed

• Blade-weilding thug broke in and demanded money at 2.20am.

• Couple’s two-year-old son slept nearby during ordeal

Jamie Ross, 17, awoke Scott Chalmers and fiancée Lyndsay Archibald after he broke down the door of their home in Liberton, Edinburgh on November 17, 2011.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Ross and another unknown male confronted the pair in their bedroom at 2.20am with a blade and screamed: “give me your money.”

The couple’s two-year-old son slept in a nearby room.

But Mr Chalmers recognised Ross and told him to get out of his house. Ross fled but only because his accomplice - who has yet to be traced by police - called him by his first name.

Guilty

The pair took a 40 inch flat screen television with them - but Ross was caught by police six days later.

The story emerged following a hearing at the High Court in which Ross, of Marytree House, Moredun, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking and entering into Scott and Lyndsay’s house whilst armed with a knife and hammer, stealing a television and threatening the pair and placing them in a state of fear and alarm.

Prosecution lawyer Pino Di Emidio told the court that Ross broke into the couple’s flat at Double Hedges Park in the early hours of November 17 last year.

Mr Di Emidio told the court: “Around 2.20 hours they were both awoken by loud bangs which Lyndsay Archibald described as if someone was kicking the door in and they were then aware of two males within their bedroom stating ‘give me your money’.

“They saw one male was smaller than the other - the accused Ross was the smaller male.

“The accused (Ross) had his face masked with a balaclava and was in possession of a knife which the witnesses say was approximately four inches long.

Hammer

“The taller male - who had not been identified - was also armed with a small claw hammer and had a hood tightly pulled over his face in an effort to mask his identity.

“The accused pointed the knife at Mr Chalmers face, shouting at him ‘give me your f****** money’. He was about a foot away from Mr Chalmers. “

Mr Di Emidio said that Mr Chalmers began to recognise Ross and confronted him over what he was doing.

Mr Di Emidio added: “As the incident developed the bedroom light was turned on. At about that time Mr Chalmers recognised the smaller male’s voice as a person he knew called Jamie from the local area and local shops.

“The males continued to state ‘give me your money’ and Mr Chalmers stated to them, that he did not have any money, to get out his house and that his son was in the other room.

“Mr Chalmers on recognising the accused’s voice also stated to him ‘Jamie f*** off, get out my house, to which the accused replied, ‘I’m not Jamie. I’m Graham’.

Distressed

“The taller male then stated ‘Come on Jamie let’s go’ and something similar to ‘let’s go they’ve got a bairn.’

“The accused and the other male then left the bedroom and went into the living room. They took the 40 inch flat screen television and stand from that room and then left the property. During this time Lyndsay Archibald had dialled 999 from her mobile phone.

“Call handler James McNair took the call and spoke to Ms Archibald who was clearly distressed.”

Mr Di Emidio told the court that police managed to trace Ross on November 23, 2011 and took him into custody. The advocate depute said Ross answered all the questions put to him by police with ‘no comment’.

Mr Di Emidio said the couple were left so shaken by the incident that they had moved to another address.

Judge Lord Turnbull deferred sentence to a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on September 26 2012.

The judge will pass sentence on Ross after reading a report which has been commissioned into the thug’s character.

On that date, defence advocate Ronnie Renucci will explain the reasons behind his client’s behaviour.