Doncaster man jailed after terrorising couple as part of machete-wielding burgling gang

Robert Davies, aged 23, from Doncaster, was one of four masked men who broke into the victims’ bungalow in Whitley, near Selby, while they were asleep in bed, York Crown Court heard.

The victims, a Chinese couple who were named in court, were woken by the sound of people “quarrelling”, said prosecutor Ben Campbell.

When the male victim opened the bedroom door, he was confronted by a masked man brandishing a large machete.

He quickly shut the door and tried in vain to keep the armed raiders at bay, but eventually had to flee from the back of the bungalow as one of the men pushed against the door with such force that it broke off its hinges.

Instead of running away, the couple stayed put and courageously tried to stop the gang leaving the premises on Doncaster Road, but the armed intruders emerged from the property with bags of stolen items including a £10,000 diamond-encrusted gold ring, two keys including one to the couple’s BMW X6, two designer coats worth about £2,000, a Louis Vuitton wallet worth around £1,000 which contained credit and National Insurance cards, and over £3,000 in cash.

The raiders ran to a getaway car, a silver Saab whose engine had been left running during the raid.

The couple ran after them and the male victim struck the bonnet with a shovel. The driver tried to run them over but they managed to “dodge away” just in time.

Passers-by tried to take photos of the registration number, but it had been smeared in mud to avoid detection and it was on a false plate.

However, one incredibly brave woman, who was also named, followed the vehicle in her car all the way to Doncaster and took photos of Davies and one of his cohorts.

Davies was identified from these images and CCTV footage and was duly arrested at his home where police found some of the stolen items.

He was charged with aggravated burglary while carrying a machete and possessing criminal property and an extendable baton.

He admitted aggravated burglary but the other charges were ultimately dropped by the prosecution.

Davies, of Lakeside View, Askern, appeared for sentence on Wednesday, August 31, after being remanded in custody.

Mr Campbell said the raiding gang had sneaked up on the bungalow from fields at the back of the property and broke in by using a brick to smash through the kitchen door.

They woke the couple, whereupon the male victim opened the bedroom door and “immediately saw a male wearing face coverings and brandishing a machete about 50cm long”.

“He went to shut the door, but (the burglar) began to push against it with force, trying to (get into) the bedroom,” added Mr Campbell.

The victim shouted to his partner that they were being burgled and to call police. She tried to keep the door shut with her partner and they managed to get it locked, at which point she escaped out of a back door.

Her partner kept his weight against the door to try to stop the burglar breaking into the bedroom, but eventually the door was smashed from its hinges.

He too then fled the room and picked up a shovel from outside his garage, “his intention (being) to try to keep the burglars within his property until the police arrived”.

As passers-by began to gather at the entrance to the property, the getaway driver started blaring his horn to warn the burglars.

The male victim “patrolled around” the property and saw two men - one of them carrying his partner’s Louis Vuitton handbag - emerging from the back door of their bedroom before running to the getaway car.

“He ran to the car and tried to hit the windscreen with the shovel, but (the Saab) was already in motion and he (managed only) to hit the bonnet,” added the prosecutor.

“The driver tried to run (the couple) down but they managed to dodge away. Two further men then emerged from the house and got into the car before it drove off.”

Another woman was in her car on Doncaster Road when she saw the getaway vehicle “screech past her at speed”.

“She had to swerve off the road to avoid contact,” said Mr Campbell.

In an act of immense bravery, she followed the vehicle down the A19, all the way to Barnby Dun on the outskirts of Doncaster, where the getaway car suddenly turned into a housing estate.

As the woman pulled into a layby, she saw two men - one of whom was Davies - running from the vehicle.

She walked up to the car and found it empty, then followed the two men into a shop where she took a photo of them.

They were also captured on the shop’s CCTV.

Davies was later identified from these images as he was already known to police as being part of an organised crime group.

About two weeks after the burglary, which occurred on March 7, police arrested him following a dawn raid at his home in Askern, where they found a Moncler coat – one of the designer items stolen in the burglary – and £310 in stolen cash.

These and other items, including the key to the couple’s front gate, were returned to the victims.

Police also found an extendable baton on top of a wardrobe in Davies’s home.

Davies had previous convictions for 19 offences including vehicle theft, dangerous driving and criminal damage.

Defence barrister Katy Rafter said that Davies, who was on prison licence at the time of the burglary, had “got in with the wrong crowd – people he had met in prison”.

Judge Sean Morris said: “This was a wicked offence and one of the most serious aggravated burglaries I have come across.

“This was organised crime (and) the victims were in bed. They must have been terrified.”

Davies was jailed for seven-and-a-half years. Not-guilty verdicts were entered on the other charges.

A 26-year-old from Wombwell in Barnsley was also charged aggravated with aggravated burglary but denied the allegation at a previous hearing.

The prosecution dropped all charges against him after a review of the case.

Police investigations are continuing into at least one other man suspected of being involved in the raid.

He had been bailed pending further investigations, but it’s understood no charges are imminent.

After passing sentence on Davies, Mr Morris praised the bravery of the woman who followed the gang in her car to gather evidence.

The judge said she would be offered a £500 reward from the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Dominic Brown, editor.