Three burglars have been jailed for a total of 12 years after a terrifying raid on an all-girl student house in Leeds.
Ryan Jordan and Tom Murphy burst into the house in Cardigan Road at Burley as two 19-year-old girls were working on their laptops.
Leeds Crown Court heard the raiders ordered the frightened students not to move as Murphy grabbed one of the student’s laptop, handbag and mobile phone.
One of the girls bravely struggled with Jordan in a tug-of-war over her laptop during the incident last October. He gave up and snatched another laptop belonging to one of their housemates
The raiders fled the scene in a silver Vauxhall Corsa driven by accomplice Kyle Harrington.
Witnesses noted a partial registration which was passed to the police.
At the time of the burglary, Jordan was being targeted by officers from North West Leeds Division’s Proactive Crime Team. They closely monitor known prolific offenders to catch and convict those actively involved in crime and offer support to those who want to go straight.
Officers raced to his girlfriend’s home in Armley and found the silver Corsa parked outside with the engine still warm.
Police forced entry in to the house and found the three offenders inside along with the stolen goods.
Murphy admitted burglary but Harrington and Jordan denied the offence and were convicted by a Leeds Crown Court jury after a trial.
Jordan 22, of Kings Road, Hyde Park, was jailed for five-and-a-half-years; Murphy, 21, of Low Grange Crescent, Belle Isle, was jailed for three-and-a-half-years, and Harrington, 23, of Latchmere Drive, West Park, was given a three-year jail term.
At the time of the offence, Jordan was on bail for an earlier attempted burglary at a student house in Regent Terrace, Hyde Park.
Det Insp Jonathan Blackwell, of the Proactive Crime Team, said: “Jordan and Murphy put these young women through a terrifying ordeal, confronting them in their home in the late afternoon and struggling with them to steal their valuables. Those victims were put through the further ordeal of having to give evidence at court.”