By ED HOLT
Published: | Updated:
Sickening CCTV footage captured the moment an elderly couple were ambushed and beaten in their own home by a gang of burglars.
The terrifying ordeal took place at the couple's home in Rochester, Kent, on the evening of January 12.
In the video, the homeowner in her 70s can be seen leaving her property to take out a rubbish bag when a masked man - hiding behind a wall - jumps out and forces her to the ground.
His accomplice then enters the property while another drags the woman back inside the bungalow.
The men tried to remove rings from the victim's fingers while the other attackers went after her husband.
They then sprayed CS spray in his eyes, and beat him up, forcing the man in his 70s to hand over his watch.
The heist lasted just four minutes and the robbers then left the house with a selection of watches and jewellery as well as their mobile phones - leaving the couple locked inside their own home so they could not call for help.
Now, three of the men have been jailed for a total of over 16 years following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
In CCTV footage, a woman in her 70s can be seen leaving her property to take out a rubbish bag when a masked man accosts her moments later and tussles her to the ground
The men then rushes into the house while one drags the woman back inside the bungalow. Other men also follow them inside, closing the patio door behind them, and they start the robbery
Pictured: Ringleader of the robbery Jessie Eastwood, 34, of Perry Hall Road in Orpington, who was jailed for seven years and eight months
The court heard that the offenders left the robbery in a stolen car using false plates which was found by Kent Police the following day.
A police investigation soon uncovered that the ringleader of the group, Jessie Eastwood, had been planning the burglary for months and had met regularly with a serving prisoner and discussed the crime with him.
Eastwood would talk about the information he was gathering, including descriptions of the victims, the layout of the house, the watches he wanted to steal and even how he planned to carry it all out.
He had another conversation with the prisoner afterwards where he likened the crime to a 'horror story'.
Thomas O'Sullivan was found to have provided Eastwood with details about the couple's property so that they could carry out the robbery.
O'Sullivan knew the victims and had previously been on holiday with them.
Police were able to find the third offender - Christopher David - following forensic testing of a jewellery box.
At the beginning of February, all three were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary which they admitted when they appeared in court.
Pictured: Thomas O’Sullivan (left), 27, of Yalding Hill in Maidstone, was sentenced to two years and five months and Christopher David (right), 41, of Downham Way in Bromley, received six years and nine months
On Monday, Eastwood, 34, of Perry Hall Road in Orpington, was sentenced to seven years and eight months.
O’Sullivan, 27, of Yalding Hill in Maidstone, was sentenced to two years and five months.
David, 41, of Downham Way in Bromley, received six years and nine months.
Detective Constable Aaron Chapman said: 'Eastwood spent nearly a year planning this burglary and recruiting others to assist him, yet officers worked quickly to uncover his identity and within weeks he had been charged along with his co-offenders.
'The victims have remained courageous and steadfast throughout the investigation despite what they were forced to go through at the hands of their attackers. We thank them for their support of the case and hope the result will bring them peace and reassurance.'