A MAN has been locked up for robbing his “terrified” grandma in her bungalow in an “outrageous” crime.

Scott MacCrae, 20, of Claremont Road, Wrose, has been locked up for six and a half years after carrying out the attack at his elderly grandmother’s home in Cottingley.

His 42-year-old accomplice Ranjit Singh, of Wrose Road, was jailed for four years and four months.

The pair had masked their faces before knocking on 77-year-old Pauline Scott’s door in January.

When Mrs Scott answered the door, the men, who were wearing dark clothing, hats and gloves, forced their way in and pushed her to the floor, Prosecutor Austin Newman told Bradford Crown Court.

“While she was on the ground, one of the males grabbed her round the throat and made demands for her jewellery,” said Mr Newman.

“She attempted to struggle and scream, but one of the males then put his hand over her mouth and told her she would be killed if she continued to scream. She was terrified and stopped struggling.”

She was forced to get jewellery from her bedroom and was asked if there was anything else in the bungalow. Mr Newman said the complainant was forced to go up a set of steps into the converted loft despite telling the intruders there was nothing up there.

During the attack Mrs Scott was able to see the second male “rifling” through her jewellery boxes in the kitchen. Mr Newman said the jewellery was of sentimental value and the stress of the incident led to her feeling unwell.

“She asked for a glass of water which the Asian male brought to her,” said Mr Newman.

The intruders told her they were going to lock the door and post the keys back through the letterbox, but as they left she was told: “If you follow us we’ll come back and kill you.”

Mr Newman said Mrs Scott searched for her mobile phone to raise the alarm, but it had been taken during the robbery so she tried banging on one her walls to attract attention. Eventually, she found a key which meant she could alert a neighbour.

When he was arrested a few days later, Singh initially denied any responsibility, but in a third interview he accepted being involved.

MacCrae only admitted his guilt on the day of his trial. Judge Colin Burn said his late plea to the robbery meant he was not entitled to as much discount on his sentence as Singh, who pleaded guilty back in February.

During MacCrae’s police interviews, he claimed he was being pursued over a debt and that on the day of the robbery he had been threatened with a knife. MacCrae also claimed he had been forced to drink alcohol and take sleeping tablets.

MacCrae’s solicitor advocate Andrew Walker described the offence as “outrageous” but said it had been a complete aberration on his client’s behalf.

Lawyer Assumpta O’Rourke, for Singh, said the robbery had not been her client’s “brainchild” and the court heard that Singh had not been responsible for the threats and intimidation suffered by MacCrae.

Although more than 20 items of jewellery were pawned following the robbery, the bulk of Mrs Scott’s property had been recovered. In her victim impact statement she described the stress and anxiety she had suffered and the court heard that a few days after the robbery the complainant was admitted to hospital with breathing problems.

Judge Burn said while the two defendants would serve “a number of years in prison” their victim might never overcome the trauma.