Two Brighton burglars jailed after masked raid of family home in Ramsgate
The victims hid in an upstairs room as the thieves searched the house
Two men who travelled from Brighton to Ramsgate to commit a violent burglary have been jailed.
On Wednesday, 23 April 2025, Harry Grassi and Gary McCarten targeted a family home in the Queens Gate Road area. According to police, the pair wore balaclavas and forcibly kicked in the front door before entering the property.
The family inside fled upstairs in fear as the two men searched the ground floor. McCarten then forced his way into the room where the victims were hiding. After several minutes, the burglars made off with a safe, two sets of car keys, a purse, and passports.
Although officers quickly arrived at the scene, Grassi and McCarten had already escaped. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) revealed that their vehicle had travelled back to Brighton. Police later found the abandoned car on a residential street and forensic examinations uncovered DNA belonging to both men.
McCarten, 36, was arrested on 22 May 2025, followed by Grassi, 26, on 10 June 2025. Both are of no fixed address. McCarten was charged with burglary and theft with violence and sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. Grassi, charged with burglary and theft without violence, received one year and 10 months. They both pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court, where they appeared for sentencing on Thursday, 11 September.
Investigating officer DC Martin Aird commented on the ordeal:
"McCarten and Grassi caused immeasurable heartache for the family involved in this crime and left them feeling unsafe in their own home. We were able to track the offenders out of county and used sophisticated forensic and tracking techniques to bring them to justice."