Bungling gang who terrorised family in raid on wrong home jailed

Three members of a bungling gang who carried an armed raid on an innocent family, having burst into the wrong house, have been jailed for a total of almost 14 years.

Nathaniel Monbelly, 22, Muhammad Iqbal, 32, and Darius Stitt, 27 along with Brandon Simpson, 28, travelled to Coatbridge, Lanarkshire in September 2024.

They had been made aware of a social media clip of a man stashing a large pile of cash under a bed.

They stormed into the property where they believed this individual lived.

He actually stayed a few doors down the same street.

A couple had been asleep before being terrorised by the gang. Their children were in their own rooms and could hear their terrified parents’ screams.

All the assailants found was a box with a man’s shaver.

The gang returned to the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday to be sentenced.

They previously admitted to a charge of housebreaking with intent to rob. 

Monbelly was sentenced to five years, Iqbal four years and nine months, and Stitt for four years.

Judge Alistair Watson told the men: “This was an appalling attack on an innocent family who, at night, were in their own home.

“It must have caused immeasurable distress at the time and the psychological harm will be high.

“This was a planned crime – members of the group travelled the length of the country and, through sheer stupidity, you appear entirely to have targeted the wrong home.”

Simpson – who also pled guilty to aggravated assault – had his sentencing further deferred due to no background report being available.

Explaining the background to the crime, prosecutor Robert Weir said: “A video was posted on social media showing a young male placing a large amount of cash under his bed.

“Enquiries identified this person as residing (at a property) in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

“Examination of a phone attributed to Monbelly later showed this address being researched on Google Maps and the video being sent to him.

“It is the Crown case that the accused attended at the wrong address.”

Monbelly and Simpson drove 400 miles from London in a stolen Alfa Romeo on September 26, 2024.

The car was later in the Lanarkshire area before the pair checked into a Hilton hotel in Glasgow.

All four were eventually together at Iqbal’s home at an apartment block in Anderston Quay.

At one stage, Simpson tried on a balaclava.

The court heard the couple were in bed at around 2.40am on September 27 when the woman heard a “loud noise” and woke up her husband.

Mr Weir said: “She opened her bedroom door and saw two males wearing all black with face coverings.

“She immediately shut the door.”

But the raiders forced their way in, and Simpson grabbed the terrified woman and shoved her, causing her to fall.

Mr Weir said: “He then put her in a headlock, restricting her breathing, and held her down by sitting on top of her.

“The woman was screaming for help and pleaded with him not to hurt her children.”

The husband, meanwhile, could see that one of the assailants was clutching a mallet. He tried to dial 999, but he was warned not to.

The phone was then snatched from him.

Mr Weir said: “The accused appeared to be looking for something under the bed and pulled a black box from a storage unit – however, it only contained a man’s shaver.”

One of the couple’s children could hear her parents yelling. The child then spotted two men and tried to close her own room door.

She also attempted to call for help, but realised her phone had been taken.

Three of the gang stormed into the other child’s room and upturned a bed, appearing to look for the cash.

The dad pleaded with the attackers: “Take anything you want. You can have anything.”

The man’s wife told them: “You have the wrong house.”

Mr Weir said: “The accused then sped down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door into the garden area.

“The patio door was smashed and glass all over the floor.”

Police were then alerted to the raid. The mallet and one of the children’s phones were found outside.

The court was told the woman suffered bruises on her ear and legs. There had been a potential threat to her life by being choked in the headlock.

Police spotted the Alfa Romeo travelling at more than 100mph on the M8 westbound shortly after the crime.

The car drove through red lights as officers gave chase in their vehicle.

But, the Alfa Romeo skidded in the city’s Springburn and smashed into a brick wall.

All four gang members tried to flee the scene.

Monbelly and Simpson were soon caught. Stitt, of Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, and Iqbal initially got away before being caught later.

CCTV and forensic evidence linked the raiders to the bungled break-in.