Knife-wielding teenagers jailed for burgling elderly Fareham couple
The pair were watching television when the pair broke in
Two teenage boys who threatened an elderly couple with knives while burgling their home near Fareham have been jailed.
The pair, now aged 15 and 17, entered the property in Barnbrook Road in Sarisbury Green on February 5th last year while its occupants, both in their 80s, were watching television.
One of the boys, who was holding a knife, demanded the pair hand over their car keys but was chased out of the house by one of the victims.
The same victim then discovered the second boy, who had come out of a bedroom wearing a ski mask and holding a knife.
The boy made demands for car keys, before taking a set of keys himself and running out of the house. The victim gave chase and found the keys discarded on the floor outside.
Subsequent police enquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses, led to the identification of the two teenage suspects.
The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were subsequently charged with aggravated burglary. They both admitted the offence when they appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on December 16th.
Appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (January 3rd), the 17-year-old boy was jailed for 40 months, and the 15-year-old was jailed for two years.
DC Paul Osborne, from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police's Eastern Area Crime Team, said:
“This was a terrifying incident for the couple involved, who were threatened at knifepoint in their own home.
"They were extremely brave during the burglary itself, and have continued to show courage throughout the police investigation.
"We know that the community will be particularly shocked by the young ages of the defendants in this instance. These kinds of aggravated burglary are rare in any case, and rarer still to involve children.
"No one should have to experience what the victims were subjected to that day - the behaviour of the defendants was appalling and we will never tolerate this type of crime.
"Officers made painstaking efforts to review hours of CCTV footage and follow up every line of enquiry available to identify the two boys involved.
"II hope the community can be reassured that we have caught the people responsible for this awful crime, and they have now been sentenced"