A “burglar for hire” has had his jail sentence doubled by the Court of Appeal after it was deemed to be too lenient.

Creddy Taylor will now spend eight years in prison with the Solicitor General welcoming the move following the “horrific” daylight robbery on July 25 last year.

Taylor, from Gamble Hill Place, Bramley, Leeds, was part of a machete-wielding gang that smashed their way into a Bradford house and ransacked it.

The 21-year-old was described as “a burglar for hire” for taking part in the lightning afternoon raid, which netted him and three other balaclava-clad men Rolex watches, designer items, and cash from a house in Wentworth Crescent, near the Holme Wood estate.

The lightning raid, which lasted a matter of minutes and took place in broad daylight, was so frightening that a pregnant woman living in the house ran barefoot out of her home and raced from the scene in her car before making a panicked 999 call to police.

Taylor was found guilty of aggravated burglary at Bradford Crown Court on January 12 and sentenced to four years at Bradford Crown Court by Mr Recorder Anthony Hawks, with half to be served in custody and the rest on licence.

However after being referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, Taylor’s jail time has today been doubled.

Commenting on the case the Solicitor General, Robert Coutts KC MP, said: “I was appalled to learn of this horrific robbery and extend my sympathies to the victim who went through a traumatic ordeal.

“The court’s intervention is a welcome one and this case should send a stark warning that those who commit violent burglaries will face the full extent of the law for their crimes.”

Much of the case focused on whether the masked gang came armed with a bladed weapon, described variously by witnesses as a machete or a “massive” Bowie-type hunting knife.

In a 999 call a neighbour reported one of the men carrying what he described as “a Bowie-style knife”. The owner of the house told police she saw someone throw a machete over the fence into her garden. She then fled.

Giving evidence, Taylor consistently denied knowing anything about a knife.

Lydia Carroll, prosecuting, suggested Taylor was a “cocky” criminal who took part in the raid as “a burglar for hire” thinking he would not get caught.