Two men have appeared in court charged with attacking Transport Minister Humza Yousaf’s father with a hammer before robbing him of his top-of-the-range car.

Stephen Dailly, 42, and Anthony Cashmore, 36, deny assaulting and robbing 63-year-old Muzaffar Yousaf at his East Renfrewshire home.

The charge against them states that, on February 2 this year, they assaulted Mr Yousaf by brandishing a hammer or similar instrument at him and repeatedly punching him on the head before robbing him of the vehicle – a blue Jaguar Xf Prestige – in Newton Mearns.

Both men are also said to have forced open the locked car before stealing laptop computers and a jacket and its contents from the vehicle.

They are also said to have stolen a set of house keys and a set of car keys, while Mr Dailly is further accused of driving Mr Yousaf’s car without insurance.

The details emerged when Mr Dailly and Mr Cashmore appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to face a combined total of 19 charges, all relating to alleged incidents in February.

Both men also deny entering an insecure car and stealing from it, breaking into another home and stealing from it and trying to break into another Newton Mearns home with intent to steal.

Mr Dailly alone denies two charges of driving while disqualified and a charge of driving without insurance, one of being in possession of a knife, one of failing to tell a police officer he was armed with a knife prior to a search, taking a car without the owner’s consent, careless driving, failing to stop at the scene of a crash and failing to report an accident.

Both men also face a single charge of being in possession of cannabis resin, which is a class B drug.

Defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh, representing Mr Dailly, and solicitor James Arrol, representing Mr Cashmore, said their clients maintained their innocence and further preparation was required.

Sheriff Colin Pettigrew adjourned the case until later this month for a further pre-trial hearing to take place.