Teenage trio jailed after three Fisherton de la Mere robberies
The gang armed themselves with handguns
A trio of teenagers have been sentenced to a total of over nine years in prison after an aggravated burglary in Fisherton de la Mere during December 2023.
The group targeted a property in the village on three occasions, carrying weapons that included a handgun.
The three can't be named for legal reasons and we're sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court.
A 16-year-old boy was handed 3 years and four months behind bars for burglary, two counts of theft, aggravated burglary and having a firearm with intent.
A 15-year-old boy received a sentence of 2 years and eight months in prison for burglary, theft, aggravated burglary, and having a firearm with intent.
A second 15-year-old, who was 14 at the time of the offence, was also sentenced to 3 years and four months in prison for aggravated burglary, having a firearm with intent, dangerous driving, having a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis.
He has also been disqualified from driving for 44 months and will need to take an extended test.
Victim left with mental scars
On 11th December 2023, two of the group targeted a property in the village and stole a BMW. They then returned with the then 14 year old on 23rd December, where they broke into the garage stealing a hedge trimmer, golf clubs, a chainsaw, charging equipment and wellies.
The group then broke targeted the house for a third time on 27th December, carrying out an aggravated burglary and stealing an Audi.
In a statement read to the court, one of their victim's said: "In the early evening of the 27th of December I walked into my kitchen... to be faced by a masked man wearing a hat and pointing a handgun directly at me.
"Stalling for time I explained that I need to go to the loo, to which, gun in hand, he agreed. He then closed me in the loo, using a chair to block the door shut. I decided that I needed to escape, and as soon as I detected he was no longer outside the door, I managed to wriggle the chair free.
"I then fled from the house in bare feet, to my next-door neighbour, where we called the police... The memory of the gang's intrusions will remain a scar on my memory for a very, very long time to come."
PC Jack Williams, from the Burglary and Serious Youth Gang Violence Team said: "This was a harrowing incident which saw three teenagers armed with weapons force their way into a home, threaten the occupants and rob one of them.
"The group targeted this house not once, but three times over a short period. It is this kind of situation which can have a long-lasting impact on the victim and affect their sense of security and privacy in their own home, a place where they should feel completely safe.
"They then led police officers on a 15-minute pursuit, travelling at speeds of up to 120mph from Devizes Road, Salisbury, up the A303 before coming off the road in Berwick St James. It's lucky that no-one was injured.
“We take burglaries incredibly seriously. In line with our Force priority of reducing the number of burglaries across Wiltshire, we have a dedicated Burglary unit whose role it is to ensure that burglars are brought to justice before the courts.
“If you have been the victim of a burglary or if you have any information on burglaries, please do not hesitate to contact us either on 101 or through our website.
“If a crime is in progress, always call 999.”