Masked men burst into a family's home and threatened them with a gun and knife before demanding gold and jewellery.

One of the intruders at the property in Fairfields, Upper Denby, threatened Ismail Ali Umer and his wife with the weapons.

The prosecution claimed they had knowledge of the family because one of the defendants had fitted the security system at their Huddersfield property and had seen pictures of Shaithi Mahmood in her jewellery.

Sentencing the trio at Leeds Crown Court Judge Sally Cahill QC said she was satisfied that defendant Ako Saleh had instigated the raid by others based on his knowledge of the victims.

“You were key to it and without you it would not have taken place,” she said.

Ako Saleh

Judge Cahill said it was one of people’s worst nightmares to be attacked in their home. “It is difficult to put into words the pure horror this family must have felt.”

Saleh, 25 of Town Avenue, Huddersfield was found guilty by the jury of robbery and jailed for 15 years, he was cleared of possessing an imitation firearm with intent or having an offensive weapon.

Joel Anthony Bryce, 33 of Leaf Street, Huddersfield a well-known Kirklees DJ known as MC Bonez, was also jailed for 15 years after he was found guilty by the jury on all three charges.

Mohammed Karwan Kadir, 40 of Scarborough Street, Dewsbury, changed his plea to guilty to the three offences after hearing Mrs Mahmood give evidence during the trial. He was jailed for 11 years.

Christopher Dunn prosecuting described how Mr Umer was upstairs praying on the evening of September 27 last year while his wife and two sons were downstairs.

Mohammed Karwan Kadir

She answered one knock on the door when there was no one there but when it happened a second time four men rushed in wearing balaclavas or with faces covered.

One demanded in Kurdish to know where their gold and money was adding “or we kill you.”

Mr Umer, hearing his wife and children screaming, rushed down to find one of the men holding his wife. He was knocked to the floor and tape was put over his face as a gag while his wife was taken upstairs to hand over their valuables.

When the four men eventually left Mr Umer bravely tried to follow the two vehicles they used but lost sight of them.

Judge Cahill heard Mr Umer’s family had been so traumatised by the events of last September he has decided to move home.

His wife had been fighting cancer at the time and after the robbery he sent her and the children away to protect them.

Joel Anthony Bryce

He described in a victim impact statement that one of his sons has autism but used to enjoy playing on his bike and jumping in the garden with his brother but has now stopped playing and is fearful that there is a masked man in the toilet.

He cannot sleep at night and both children are now totally dependent on their parents being with them because of the terror they felt that night.

Jailing the three convicted of robbery, Judge Cahill said: “The mother and children were just sitting downstairs minding their own businesses at 8pm in the evening when masked men break into their home threatening them with an imitation firearm and a knife.”

“This poor couple and their children must have been absolutely terrified.”

Judge Cahill commended three police officers involved in bringing the case to court.