A Bradford man and his father who kidnapped a mum and toddler at gunpoint and held them captive for a £20,000 ransom were jailed for a total of 22 years today.

Matthew Scaife, imprisoned for ten years, and Anthony Scaife, jailed for 12 years, armed themselves with guns and a knife to abduct the terrified woman and child from their home in the dead of night.

Matthew Scaife, 26, of Thornton Road, Bradford, and Anthony Scaife, 53, of Main Street, Long Preston, near Skipton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap on May 21 this year.

They left the woman’s husband bound and blindfolded, warning him his wife and daughter would be killed if he did not come up with the cash. Judge Alistair McCallum, sentencing father and son at Bradford Crown Court, branded it “a dastardly crime.”

Anthony Scaife, wearing glasses and a purple jumper, and Matthew Scaife, smartly dressed in a dark suit and tie, remained impassive in the dock.

Bradford Crown Court heard they dressed in dark-coloured boiler suits, balaclavas and goggles to smash their way into the couple’s home at 4am. They disguised their voices with bogus Irish accents, calling one another Paddy and Murphy.

The woman’s husband, who is now suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, thought they were IRA terrorists, the court heard.

Anthony Scaife’s wife Debor-ah, 49, of the same address, and his daughter, Victoria Scaife, 27, of Pinhaw Road, Skipton, were formally acquitted.

Prosecutor Tim Capstick said Anthony Scaife felt cheated after a disagreement with the couple about a bill for building work. His company was in dire financial straits and he needed £20,000 to bail him out.

Mr Capstick said the man’s wife was confronted by the kidnappers on the landing of their home. The couple were bound with cable ties and duct tape and the man had a gun held against his face.

The Scaifes ransacked the house and unearthed almost £2,000 in cash.

They demanded bank cards and pin numbers and told the man to raise £20,000 or his wife and toddler would die. Mother and child were driven to Anthony Scaife’s workshop near Settle and held captive for almost 24 hours. Her husband struggled free from his bonds and raised the alarm.

The Scaifes were arrested and a search of their home revealed an air rifle, double and single- barrel shotguns, a knife and duct tape. A black balaclava found in Anthony Scaife’s van was linked to him by forensic evidence.

Bryan Cox QC, Anthony Scaife’s barrister, conceded he put the family, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of their children, through a terrifying experience.

Tahir Khan, for Matthew Scaife, said he was not the prime mover and acted out of misplaced loyalty to his father.

After the case, Detective Superintendent Alan Carey, the senior investigating officer, described the kidnap as terrifying and sinister.

A statement released on behalf of the victims said: “Today, Anthony and Matthew Scaife begin the long years of imprisonment that their wicked and predatory crimes deserve. Nothing can repair the damage that these evil criminals have done to our family.”

Spiralling health and money problems drove Anthony Scaife to commit his crime. The former Bradford businessman was fearful for the future of his failing building company. Scaife’s barrister, Bryan Cox QC, said: “He was in crisis at this time.”

As Anthony Scaife’s financial and health worries deepened, his son Matthew arrived from Bradford to stay at the family home. He told his probation officer, he “would do anything for his father and felt he could not let him down.”

The court heard that, like his father, Matthew was in emotional turmoil, and that his mental health was fragile after the breakdown of a relationship.