THREE men who carried out a terrifying robbery at the home of a Huddersfield mum-of-two have been given jail sentences totalling more than 14 years.
The trio, who had travelled to West Yorkshire to confront Samantha Matangira’s husband, now face possible deportation after a judge handed out prison sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half years.
Cameroon national Dondy Fonkwa, 35, (pictured) held a knife to Mrs Matangira’s neck during her ordeal last year and his accomplice, 29-year-old Ebrima Njie, who comes from The Gambia, struck her on the head with a small axe.
Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how Mrs Matangira was also punched and slapped during the attack at her home in Burniston Drive, Oakes, and one of the robbers even threatened to take her children if she did not hand over the keys to a £14,000 Range Rover.
The intruders, who included 35-year-old Gambian Kekuta Darboe, eventually fled with a television, a Sony Playstation, Mrs Matangira’s mobile phone and the Range Rover.
The court heard that Mrs Matangira had told the men that her husband was not at home when they banged on the front door in September 2009.
She was alone in the house with her two baby children at the time, but Judge James Goss QC said the trio had barged into her house.
“This was a nasty robbery of a young woman in her own home with her two baby children present in which persistent violence was used to effect the theft,’’ the judge told the men.
“She was obviously naturally fearful not just for herself but for her babies.’’
Fonwka, Njie and a fourth defendant, 37-year-old Brian Wilson, had driven up from Portsmouth and picked up Darboe from his home in Manchester before turning up at Mrs Matangira’s home.
Judge Goss accepted that the men had initially gone to the property to see Mr Matangira, but he said the robbery was aggravated by the fact that it involved the invasion of the victim’s home at night when the men were in possession of weapons.
Mrs Matangira received facial injuries in what prosecutor Stephen Wood described as a “sustained and gratuitous attack’’ and in a victim impact statement she said she suffered anxiety attacks following the incident.
The Range Rover was later found in a car park in Portsmouth and the Playstation console was recovered from Njie’s home.
Mr Wood said it could be identified as the stolen console by the fact that its screensaver was a photo of the Matangira children.
In September Fonkwa was found guilty of his role in the robbery and yesterday he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail.
Njie, known as Ninja, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to the same offence.
Darboe, who did no use any violence in the raid, was locked up for three-and-a-half years
Wilson, who did not go into the house, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods in the wake of the robbery and was given a 12-month prison sentence.
