diff --git a/Expat/Expat.xs b/Expat/Expat.xs
index 7b7b5ec..6833a6b 100644
--- a/Expat/Expat.xs
+++ b/Expat/Expat.xs
@@ -2353,12 +2353,18 @@ XML_Do_External_Parse(parser, result)
 	  }
 	  else if (SvROK(result) && isGV(SvRV(result))) {
 	    /* Lexical filehandle (open my $fh) - a reference to a glob */
+	    IO *io = GvIOp((GV*)SvRV(result));
+	    if (!io)
+	      croak("ExternEnt handler returned an unopened filehandle");
 	    RETVAL = parse_stream(parser,
-				  sv_2mortal(newRV_inc((SV*) GvIOp((GV*)SvRV(result)))));
+				  sv_2mortal(newRV_inc((SV*) io)));
 	  }
 	  else if (isGV(result)) {
+	    IO *io = GvIOp(result);
+	    if (!io)
+	      croak("ExternEnt handler returned an unopened filehandle");
 	    RETVAL = parse_stream(parser,
-				  sv_2mortal(newRV_inc((SV*) GvIOp(result))));
+				  sv_2mortal(newRV_inc((SV*) io)));
 	  }
 	  else if (SvPOK(result)) {
 	    STRLEN  eslen;
diff --git a/t/extern_ent_lexical_glob.t b/t/extern_ent_lexical_glob.t
index 77d35ce..c3ed462 100644
--- a/t/extern_ent_lexical_glob.t
+++ b/t/extern_ent_lexical_glob.t
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use File::Temp qw(tempfile);
 if ($] < 5.012) {
     plan skip_all => 'Lexical filehandles lack read() method before Perl 5.12';
 }
-plan tests => 2;
+plan tests => 4;
 
 # Create a temporary entity file
 my ($fh, $entfile) = tempfile(UNLINK => 1, SUFFIX => '.ent');
@@ -46,3 +46,33 @@ XML
     is($@, '', 'parsing with lexical glob ExternEnt handler does not die');
     is($chardata, 'hello world', 'character data from lexical glob entity is correct');
 }
+
+# Test 3: unopened lexical glob croaks instead of segfaulting
+{
+    my $p = XML::Parser->new(
+        Handlers => {
+            ExternEnt => sub {
+                my $fh;  # declared but never opened
+                return \$fh;  # returns reference to undef scalar, not a glob
+            },
+        },
+    );
+
+    eval { $p->parse($xml) };
+    ok($@, 'unopened lexical scalar ref dies gracefully');
+}
+
+# Test 4: unopened bare glob croaks instead of segfaulting
+{
+    no warnings 'once';
+    my $p = XML::Parser->new(
+        Handlers => {
+            ExternEnt => sub {
+                return *UNOPENED_TEST_GLOB;  # glob with no IO slot
+            },
+        },
+    );
+
+    eval { $p->parse($xml) };
+    like($@, qr/unopened filehandle/i, 'bare unopened glob gives useful error');
+}