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Doctor forced to quit his job and is unable to remember his own children's names after vicious hammer attack



A doctor has been left brain damaged after being struck with a hammer in a brutal attack by two heroin addicts who raided his home.

Dr Prana Das, 67, needs constant care, can no longer remember his children's names and will never practice medicine again because of his head injuries.

He suffered a terrifying assault at the hands of Rhiannon Gibbons, 27, and Edward Donovan, 51, who were today jailed for a total of 25 years over the robbery.


Dr Das and his wife Nishebita, also a doctor, were asleep when the pair broke into their country home.

Prosecutor David Elias said: 'Mrs 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 in complete terror she said he was in another bedroom. A pillowcase was put over her head and her hands were tied.

'She heard the sound of her husband being attacked in his bedroom before he was brought into her room.

'The pillowcase was lifted and she could see her husband - his face was covered in blood and there was a knife held to his throat.'

The mother-of-two, 64, heard her husband screaming: 'Don't beat me,' as the burglars demanded to know where their valuables were hidden.

Mr Elias said: 'She heard him crying out in pain. It was clear he was being assaulted and she thought he was taking his last breaths.'

Mrs Das was also forced to watch as Donovan threatened to cut her husband's throat with a knife.

The two doctors were left tied to furniture at their home at Catsash, near Newport, South Wales, while Donovan and Gibbons fled in the couple's BMW.

The proceeds of their 'horrific' crime was foreign currency, a mobile phone, a gold plated ornamental eagle and jewellery worth in total £100,000.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Dr Das suffered bleeding to the brain and is unlikely to recover from his injuries.






'Callous disregard for Dr Das': Rhiannon Gibbons, 27, (left) and Edward Donovan, 51, (right) were jailed for 10 years and 15 years respectively after being found guilty of robbery, wounding and assault


A victim impact statement by Mrs Das said her husband would never be able to practice medicine again.

She said: 'He needs constant care and has become a recluse. He is nothing like the man I have lived with for many years.

'He walks with a shuffle and has limited sight. His memory has gone.

'He cannot even remember the names of his two children or his grandchildren. The children get very upset when he asks them: '"Who are you?"'


'This was a carefully planned robbery carried out with ruthlessness and no regard for the victims. You showed no remorse'

Judge Eleri Rees

Donovan and Gibbons were arrested after a hammer found at one of their homes was stained with the doctor's blood.

CCTV cameras also caught the haul from the house being unloaded from the stolen

BMW into one of the accused's flats before it was abandoned and torched.

Police also seized Gibbons' mobile phone which showed that inquiries had been made about foreign currency rates and the price of gold.

Donovan, and Gibbons, both from Newport, were found guilty of robbery, wounding Prana and assault. Donovan was jailed for 15 years and Gibbons for 10 years.

The court heard Donovan has 29 previous court appearances for 87 offences including robbery and aggravated burglary and had recently served a five-and-a-half year sentence.

Gibbons had appeared in court 12 times for 29 offences including robbery and had served terms of imprisonment.

Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees, said: 'This was a carefully planned robbery carried out with ruthlessness and no regard for the victims. You showed no remorse.

'You showed a callous disregard for the life and health of Dr Das.

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