A thug has been jailed for 32 months after trying to rob a couple at knifepoint in their Gowkthrapple home.
Robert Malcolm was high on drink and drugs when he and another man carried out the botched raid.
They terrified a man and a woman, who are in their 60s, after turning up at their flat.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that the pair demanded money and cigarettes, and Malcolm tried to strike the woman with his blade.
But they eventually fled empty-handed.
Malcolm, 34, of Maxton Crescent, Coltness, admitted assault with intent to rob at Birkshaw Tower on April 30, 2019.
His accomplice was jailed for 22 months when he pleaded guilty in August that year.
Defence agent Kevin McCarron said Malcolm had only two minor previous convictions and the other man was “in a different league” in that respect.
Mr McCarron told the court: “It’s breathtaking that a man of his age with so little record becomes involved in a crime at this level.
“One reason is that he had consumed roughly 100 temazepam tablets and two bottles of Buckfast wine beforehand.
“Such was his condition that he cannot recollect the details of the offence.”
Mr McCarron added that his client has a history of depression and anxiety, and is on medication.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Douglas Brown told Malcolm: “This is very serious, an attempted robbery on a couple in their 60s in their own home where they are entitled to feel safe.
“Not only did you and the co-accused brandish knives and threaten them, you went further and tried to strike the female with a knife.
“Given the gravity of the offence, only a substantial sentence of imprisonment is appropriate, though I take account of your lack of a significant record.”
