Couple feared death in masked gun-point raid

Craig Irving, Clark Morrison and Bradley Burrows admitted their involvement in the ordeal

A couple feared they would be killed when masked men armed with a fake gun and machete burst into their home demanding cash, a court has heard.

Craig Irving and his stepson Clark Morrison were trying to get drugs debt money from the couple's son, but quickly fled in a car driven by Bradley Burrows when they realised he was not at the Forest Hall house, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Irving, 44, and Morrison, 20, both admitted possessing an imitation firearm and were jailed, while Burrows, 21, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was given a suspended sentence.

Judge Amanda Rippon said she could not "comprehend" how terrifying the ordeal must have been for the victims.

The couple were upstairs at their home getting ready to go out for dinner on 11 August last year when, at about 16:00 BST, they heard someone enter through the front door, prosecutor Nick Lane said.

The woman went downstairs expecting to find her father-in-law, who was a regular visitor, but instead was confronted by two men clad in black and wearing masks in her living room.

'Owed lots of money'

Irving pointed what appeared to be a double-barrel shotgun protruding from a carrier bag at her, while Morrison was wielding a machete, the court heard.

The woman instantly feared she would be killed and her life flashed before her eyes, Mr Lane said.

The intruders began screaming at her to hand over money and moved towards her, standing over her and brandishing the weapons as she cowered at the foot of the stairs, the court heard.

Her partner came downstairs and realised the men were after his son, who had moved out several days before, the court heard.

He shouted at the pair that their target was not there and the atmosphere immediately changed, Mr Lane said, with the two men saying the couple's son owed "a lot of people a lot of money" but the parents would not be harmed.

The two men then fled and were driven away in a blue Ford Focus by Burrows, with the car, which belonged to his mother, quickly traced to his address.

'Taken my life away'

Parts of a gun which had been used to terrify the couple were discovered in searches of the men's homes, along with other weapons including a knuckleduster, baseball bat and axe, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court, the woman said she had been left on anti-depressants and been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, suffering regular flashbacks and nightmares.

"I feel like they have taken my life away," the woman said, adding she no longer felt safe leaving the house, always feared she was being followed and would "second guess genuine people all the time".

Her partner said he feared for his wife's mental health and had paid £900 to install heightened security in a bid to "make us feel safe in our own home".

'Minutes can last forever'

In mitigation, the court heard Morrison had been using crack cocaine since the age of 12 and was following his stepfather Irving.

Irving was a former heroin user who began taking drugs again after family deaths and at the time of the offence was trying to get mental health help, the court heard.

Burrows was a "young immature man" who was just helping out his friend Morrison but "naively" did not ask any questions, the court was told.

Heavily convicted Irving, of Midway in Walker, was jailed for three years and 11 months, while Morrison, of McIlvenna Gardens in Wallsend, also admitted making threats with a bladed article and was jailed for two years and 10 months.

Burrows, of Cedarwood Avenue in Newcastle, was jailed for 18 months suspended for two years with 100 hours unpaid work

Judge Rippon said the incident "must have been the longest couple of minutes" of the victims' lives, adding: "A couple of minutes can last forever."

When detailing the impact the ordeal had had on the pair, the judge told the trio "you did that", and said: "I can't begin to comprehend how terrifying it must have been."

Restraining orders banning the three men from contacting the victims or entering their street were also made to last for 10 years.