A violent gang of robbers who carried out a terrifying raid on a man’s home have been put behind bars.
Jaydon Fordham, Jimmy Dennis and Kelan Dennis smashed their way into the property in Beeston in the early hours of 21 April 2024.
Armed with an axe and a machete, they threatened the man until he handed over his car keys.
Elliot Holt, who was known to the victim, did not enter the house but later admitted to police that he had driven the stolen car.
The four robbers appeared in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, 28 March.
Twenty-one-year-old Fordham, of no fixed address, admitted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and was jailed for six and a half years.
Fordham was also sentenced after being convicted of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs in unrelated incidents.
Jimmy Dennis, aged 21, of Bethnal Walk, Nottingham, was jailed for six years and five months after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Kelan Dennis, aged 18, of Rivergreen, Nottingham, was sent to a young offenders’ institution for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to robbery.
Holt, aged 18, of Glapton Lane, Nottingham, was sentenced to three years in a young offenders’ institution after pleading guilty to robbery.
CCTV footage recovered by police showed Jimmy Dennis using an axe to smash a window of the home at around 3.45am.
He climbed inside, followed by Fordham and Kelan Dennis.
The victim went to investigate the noise and saw three masked men running towards him.
He was struck with the flat side of one of the weapons and threatened until he handed over the keys to his Ford Focus.
One of the offenders also stole a gold bracelet from him, which was later found in Fordham’s possession when he was arrested.
A woman was also inside the property during the raid and pretended to be asleep.
The trio were then seen on CCTV exiting the property and driving away in the Focus after smashing through the gate.
Police were called to Dalehead Road, Clifton, at around 4am after a resident reported seeing masked men in the street.
Holt emerged from behind a fence near where the Focus had been parked and was arrested.
Following a search, Fordham and Kelan Dennis were also arrested after being found in a garden on Dalehead Road.
Jimmy Dennis was arrested a few days later following a police manhunt.
Detective Sergeant Alana Scott, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Thankfully, crimes of this nature are very rare, and this was an isolated incident in which at least one of the offenders sentenced this week was known to the victim.
“None of that takes away from how terrifying this ordeal must have been for both him and the woman in the house, who was forced to lie in bed pretending to be asleep.
“It was an appalling invasion of a man’s home. The gang used force and violence to enter his personal space in order to terrorise and steal from him.
“Any violent raid of this nature can expect a robust response, and officers worked quickly to trace the offenders.
“Detectives then carried out detailed investigations and built a watertight case, leaving the offenders with no choice but to plead guilty.”
