Burglars beat resident with gun and metal pole

Marco Sellitto, left, and Corey Deards, right, were handed prison sentences at Cambridge Crown Court

Two burglars who forced their way into a home and beat a resident with a gun and metal pole have been handed prison sentences.

Marco Sellitto, 34, and Corey Deards, 25, broke into a house in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, in May 2020.

The couple inside were subjected to what police described as a "terrifying ordeal" that left one of the victims in a coma.

Sellitto and Deards, both from Bedford, were found guilty of aggravated burglary at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.

Sellitto was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Deards was handed six years and six months in prison.

'Frightening experience'

The pair broke into the home at 02:00 BST on 31 May 2020, and put a gun in the mouth of the man in the house, who knew them.

They hit him with the gun and a metal pole, leaving him with three broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

His partner ran downstairs and they stole a gold necklace from her neck, and caused £1,800 of damage to the house.

The pair were identified by the residents in an identity parade, after police got information from a taxi driver and footage from their journey back to Bedford.

Det Insp Louise Clarke, from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: "This was a frightening experience for the victims who were terrified as the criminals smashed their way into their home.

"I am glad justice has been done and hope the verdicts and sentence will bring some comfort and closure for the victims."