A man has been jailed after a homeowner was woken by intruders who held a kitchen knife to his throat during a terrifying burglary in Scarborough.
Matthew Williams, 35, and Kyle Smith, 19, forced their way into a property in the Esplanade area of Scarborough at around 10.40pm on Thursday (Aug 28), 2025.
The victim was asleep when the two men entered his home, threatened him with a kitchen knife and searched his flat.
During the ordeal, a knife was held against his throat as the intruders stole a 55-inch television, a wallet containing bank cards, alcohol, tobacco and the knife used to threaten him.
The pair fled in a vehicle that had been stolen in the days leading up to the burglary.
North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation, with CCTV footage identifying a silver Ford Transit van travelling to and from the area around the time of the offence.
Further footage showed the vehicle parking on the Edgehill estate, where two men were seen hiding kitchen knives behind a bin before walking away.
Officers recovered the weapons, including one matching the description provided by the victim.
Shortly after midnight, police located and arrested Williams and Smith on Seamer Road. Both were wearing clothing matching descriptions of the suspects captured on CCTV.
Williams was found in possession of Class A and Class B drugs when he was arrested.
A search of the van uncovered the stolen television and wallet, while forensic examination revealed Smith's fingerprints on items recovered from the vehicle.
Further analysis found Williams' DNA on both recovered knives and Smith's DNA on one of them.
Williams' DNA was also discovered on a cushion zip inside the victim's flat.
During his police interview, Williams claimed his DNA was on the knife because he had previously helped the victim prepare a Sunday dinner, using it to chop onions.
However, the victim disputed his account.
Both men subsequently pleaded guilty.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim described believing he was going to die during the attack.
Although he escaped without physical injuries, he said the experience had severely affected his mental health and left him struggling to feel safe in his own home.
He said: “I was asleep in my home when I was suddenly awoken by intruders, one holding a knife to my throat. I felt completely helpless, in what should have been the safety of my own home.”
He added: “I feel I have lost a sense of security, it’s difficult to move past the feeling that when I wake up during the night, it might be to intruders threatening my life. The feeling of safety in my own home is gone.”
At York Crown Court on Thursday (Oct 22), Williams, of no fixed address, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228.
Smith, of Blenheim Terrace, received a three-year prison sentence suspended for three years after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.
He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £187.
Following sentencing, Detective Constable Sam Rivers, of North Yorkshire Police's Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said: “'Burglars are a scourge on our communities. Invading people’s homes is a crime only the lowest of the low commit.
“The defendant attempted to explain away the damning evidence by claiming his DNA was found on the knife because he had previously been helping the victim chop onions for a Sunday dinner in his flat. While imaginative, this explanation was seen for what it was, ridiculous.
“The reality is, this was a violent and premeditated offence, the suspects can now reflect on this crime from their prison cells."