A teenager who claimed he was “pressured” into driving a gang of burglars to a family home in Brighouse was put at the scene of the crime by a tracking device in his own car.

Ryan Goldsborough’s car had been fitted with “black box” tracking device as part of his insurance policy and it placed him at the scene of the Brighouse break-in that night.

Bradford Crown Court heard today (Friday) that three intruders used a blowtorch to break the lock on the patio doors and force their way into the semi-detached property on Half House Lane, but they fled empty-handed when the alarm was activated during the early hours raid in July last year.

At the time of the break-in the householder, his wife and daughter were all asleep in the property and their two cars were parked on the driveway.

Prosecutor Philip Adams said the intruders fled on foot and 19-year-old Goldsborough, who had driven off in his Seat car, was arrested by officers on patrol about half-an-hour later.

Mr Adams said the door lock had been burned out with the blowtorch and damage totalling £400 had been caused.

The court heard that Goldsborough’s car had been fitted with “black box” tracking device as part of his insurance policy and it placed him at the scene of the break-in that night.

Mr Adams summarised a victim impact statement in which the householder said the burglary had had a major impact on his family with all of them suffering sleeplessness and anxiety.

Goldsborough, who pleaded guilty to burglary at the first opportunity before the magistrates court, told a probation officer that he had been approached by a group of older males and was asked for a lift from Bradford to Brighouse.

The probation officer told the court that Goldsborough did not know what the men’s intentions were but he felt pressured into giving them a lift.

Goldsborough’s solicitor advocate Ashok Khullar said he knew a burglary was going to take place, but he did feel under pressure.

Recorder Abdul Iqbal QC said the group had clearly hatched a plan to travel to addresses that night in order to steal expensive cars.

“Mercifully for everyone concerned the alarm of the property sounded and the men fled without the keys to the cars or any other property,” added the judge.

The judge said there was ample evidence of premeditation and planning and a custodial sentence of 20 months was appropriate.

But he said he was just persuaded because of Goldsborough’s age and lack of previous offending to suspend the term for two years.

The teenage labourer, of Tyersal Terrace, Bradford, must do 250 hours unpaid work for the community as part of his suspended sentence and comply with a three-month nighttime curfew between 9pm and 6am.

The judge also ordered him to pay £400 compensation to the burglary victim as well as £500 costs.