Three teenagers have been sentenced to a total of more than nine years in prison following an aggravated burglary in Fisherton de la Mere, near Warminster.
The trio, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced on Friday at Salisbury Crown Court after pleading guilty in February.
A 16-year-old boy received a 40-month prison sentence for burglary, two counts of theft, aggravated burglary, and having a firearm with intent. A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 32 months in prison for burglary, theft, aggravated burglary, and having a firearm with intent. Another 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time of the offences, was sentenced to 40 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.
The sentencing follows a series of incidents in December 2023. On December 11, two of the teenagers targeted a property in the village and stole a BMW. On December 23, they returned with a 14-year-old accomplice and broke into the garage, stealing a hedge trimmer, golf clubs, a chainsaw, charging equipment, and wellies. Then, on December 27, the trio broke into the house again, carrying out an aggravated burglary and stealing an Audi.
In a statement read to the court, one of the victims described the harrowing experience: “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 the time I explained that I needed 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, commented: “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.
Williams added, “They then led police officers on a 15-minute pursuit, travelling at speeds of up to 120 mph 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.”
There is advice on protecting your home from burglars on our website: Protecting your home from crime | Crime prevention | Wiltshire Police
You can report crime to us via our website: Report a crime | Wiltshire Police or by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
