TWO members of a ram-raid gang who smashed through metal shutters at a Bradford One Stop Shop at dead of night have been locked up.

The four-man burglary team reversed a Mitsubishi Pajero four times at reinforced doors at the store in Highgate, Heaton, terrifying the owner of the business, Harish Patel, and his family who were sleeping above the attacked premises.

The gang, one of whom was wielding a hammer, did £1,000 damage and got away with cigarettes and £300 in cash.

They were pursued by the police in the Pajero that had a badly damaged rear end and no lights. A loud noise was coming from the exhaust and it eventually ground to a halt.

Amir Khan, 22, of Harewood Street, Barkerend, Bradford, and Cameron Hall, 19, of Rook Lane, Dudley Hill, Bradford, pleaded guilty to burgling the shop at 2.55am on February 21.

Hall also admitted burgling an occupied house in Brow Lane, Shelf, at 2.50am on December 17 last year.

Prosecutor Mark Brookes said Hall and others smashed the kitchen window with a stone and reached into the property to grab a purse, jewellery and car keys. They then made off in the householder’s Ford Fiesta.

Khan was in breach of a six month suspended sentence order imposed in 2014 for possession of cannabis with intent to supply it on Leeds Road, Thornbury, Bradford, in January 2013.

Mr Brookes said he was smoking the drug and had 13 dealer bags of cannabis on him.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that Mr Patel was woken by the Pajero repeatedly ramming the shop shutters.

He shouted to gang members: “I’ve seen you, you are on camera,” but they entered the shop and fled with the stolen items.

When the vehicle broke down, Khan struggled with arresting officers and Hall was apprehended after a chase on foot.

Both men were bailed but failed to attend at the crown court for their sentencing hearings on June 24.

They were arrested and remanded in custody.

Yunus Valli, barrister for Khan, said he played a subordinate role, as look-out in the ram raid.

He had no relevant previous convictions and cared for his ill mother, who was in court to support him.

“He is genuinely remorseful and regrets being involved,” Mr Valli said.

Tahir Hanif, solicitor advocate for Hall, said that after breaching an Asbo in 2013, he turned his life around, attending a bricklaying course and working to look after his poorly mother.

“He is thoroughly ashamed of his behaviour,” Mr Hanif said.

Judge Colin Burn jailed Khan for two years and sentenced Hall to 18 months in a young offender institution.

He said: “It would be unbelievable to imagine that Mr Patel and his family had not been traumatised by someone smashing their way into his premises.”

He continued: “In all but name, it could almost be described as a robbery.”