A terrified burglary victim had to barricade herself in her bathroom after a brazen burglary gang smashed their way into her Bradford flat.

The woman, who had been in bed at her ground floor studio flat, was disturbed earlier this month when one of the intruders knocked on her door at night.

The offender moved away after the woman called out, but moments later she heard two loud bangs as her front window was smashed in.

Prosecutor Philips Adams told Bradford Crown Court today (Fri) that the woman couldn’t see who was outside and as she phoned the police she retreated to her bathroom.

“She did all she could to barricade the door and she remained on the phone to the police while the defendants climbed into her property,” said Mr Adams.

The court heard that the intruders began loading various electrical devices into a suitcase, but when police officers arrived at the flat two of the three men were arrested.

A third unidentified burglar managed to escape via a fire door at the rear of the block of flats.

A judge today jailed 46-year-old Wajad Hussain and 23-year-old Leon Winchester for four years for what he described as “a very serious domestic burglary”.

The court heard that the pair, who both lived in Little Horton Lane, Bradford, had lengthy previous convictions and Hussain had two previous convictions for house burglary.

They both pleaded guilty to burgling the flat, but Judge Colin Burn said there was very little to distinguish the offence from a robbery in the home.

“I don’t think either of you have any appropriate insight into the effect of the offence on the young lady involved,” said Judge Burn.

“A young lady at home on her own, at night, in bed when three of you smashed your way into her studio flat so that she had to lock herself in her bathroom and call the police.

“She had absolutely no way of knowing that burglary was actually your intention. It could have been anything as far as she was concerned which would have made it even more terrifying.

“It’s clearly in the top category. It’s towards the top end of the top category because it bears so many similarities to a robbery in the home.”

Judge Burn said the sentence after a trial would have been 66 months in jail, but credit for the defendants guilty pleas meant the term had to be reduced to four years.