THE GETAWAY driver for a violent gang that targeted Bradford women in their homes for gold, jewellery and cash has been jailed for three years.

Kashaf Rashid, who was already serving six years imprisonment for housebreaking and his role in a stolen vehicle ring, has now admitted his part in two aggravated burglaries, in Weetwood Road, Girlington, and Haworth Road, Heaton, at teatime on February 13, 2015.

Rashid, 26, of Penfield Grove, Clayton, Bradford, kept look-out for the gang and drove the getaway vehicle, a stolen Volvo that crashed outside Bradford Royal Infirmary shortly after the second household was attacked.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that gold bangles were torn from the arms of two of the terrified victims by the knife-wielding gang.

Prosecutor Andrea Parnham said four men raided the two houses in the space of an hour, between 5pm and 6pm.

In the first incident, Faiza Arif was locked in her home by the gang after going to investigate a noise upstairs.

They demanded: “Give us the gold,” and brandished knives.

Her mother, Nusrat Rani, was also terrorised by the gang and they threatened to kill a six-year-old girl who was present at the address. Mrs Arif managed to escape out of the back door and raise the alarm at a neighbour’s house.

Miss Parnham said Mrs Arif and her mother suffered cuts and grazes where gold jewellery was forcibly removed from them. There were stab marks on the sofa and a door frame.

The gang made off with £9,000 of valuables, including gold bangles and wedding rings. At 6pm the same day, they struck at another family home, in Haworth Road, kicking in a side door to gain entry.

Halima Tariq and her 79-year-old grandmother, Zakia Begum, were threatened with a knife and the raiders fled with £4,000 worth of cash and jewellery, phones and a black BMW.

The court heard that half an hour later, the stolen Volvo crashed and three occupants ran off. Police seized property stolen from both houses from the vehicle, along with Rashid’s bank card and gym membership card.

He was arrested and denied the offences. On the day of his trial, he pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary, on the basis that he did not know the gang was carrying weapons and that violence would be used against the householders. Rashid had previous convictions for dangerous driving and supplying drugs. In December, 2015, he was locked up for six years for his role in a £250,000 stolen car ring. Rashid was part of a large-scale conspiracy to burgle operation carried out across West Yorkshire over a 18-month period, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Yesterday, his barrister, Michael Collins, said Rashid, who was a car dealer at the time, played a limited role in the Bradford house burglaries. Rashid was a trained mechanic who hoped to lead an honest life in the future.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said the violent burglaries must have been the victims’ “worst nightmare.” He said: “These ladies were grabbed, manhandled, threatened and detained, and jewellery forcibly removed from them. These ladies, respected members of our Asian community, were clearly targeted for jewellery and gold.”

Rashid’s three year jail sentence will begin when he due to be released from the sentence he is currently serving.