A hotelier drove his wife's car around with friends in Dundee before trying to abduct two girls walking home after a night out at a student union.

Vygantas Gadeikis, who runs the Victoria Hotel in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was alone at home for two weeks after his wife went on holiday in October 2015.

While she was away, Gadeikis, 28, of Lower Mill Street, Blairgowrie, went for a night out with friends in Dundee, first visiting Fat Sam's nightclub and leaving at closing time.

He and three male friends then drove about in his wife's Volkswagen Touran people carrier, eventually stopping close to the Dundee University student union in Park Wynd.

There he engaged Mhairi Cormack and Cherilyn Lawrie in conversation, claiming he wanted directions.

When the two girls said goodbye and went to walk away down a flight of stairs, Gadeikis got out and followed them before grabbing them and hauling them back towards his car.

He then tried to shove Ms Cormack into his vehicle as she held on to the door frame to keep herself out.

The jury at Dundee Sheriff Court was told another man, meanwhile, held Ms Lawrie against a set of railings, preventing her escape.

Ms Cormack, a student at the university, told the court: "I remember asking the men if they were German - they said they weren't.

"I spoke to them for five minutes then we said goodbye and turned to walk down the stairs."

Fiscal depute Hansa Pertab asked: "When you turned to walk downstairs what happened?"

Ms Cormack said: "Two men got out of the car and one pulled us by the arm back up the stairs. I turned round and said: 'What are you doing?'

"One of them grabbed us by the arm and pulled us back up the stairs. We were trying to shrug him off - then he tried to push me into the car.

"I remember being pushed and I was holding on to the car window and the man was trying to push me into the car.

"Then I saw two boys walking and I thought one of them was my friend Stuart so I shouted 'Stuart, Stuart'.

"The man asked who they were and I said it was my boyfriend and he let me go.

"I was just so caught up in the moment it wasn't until the next day I realised it could have been a dangerous situation."

Stefan Jones, 19, was one of the students approached by the two girls as they escaped Gadeikis.

He said: "She was calling my friend Stuart - but his name is Leo.

"They appeared quite flustered, they were talking urgently.

"One of them pointed at a car and said the men were trying to drag her in."

But Gadeikis vehemently denied the charges, telling the jury: "We asked them if we were allowed to park in a car park there and they said yes.

"One of the girls seemed upset - she said she had split up with her boyfriend in the club.

"I offered her a lift home and she walked to the car.

"Her friend told her not to get in a stranger's car and she walked away."

Gadeikis denied two charges of attempted abduction.

However, a jury took just over an hour to find him guilty of both offences, committed on October 3, 2015.

Evaldas Norbutas, 28, of Croft Court, Blairgowrie, was cleared of abducting Ms Lawrie due to lack of evidence.

Sheriff Tom Hughes deferred sentence until July 28 for reports and released Gadeikis on bail.

He said: "I will continue your bail at this stage. However, this is a very serious matter indeed."

Gadeikis wept in the dock as the verdict was read before storming out of court.