Two men have been jailed after a man was confronted in his own home by masked burglars.
The victim was at home in Canterbury Close, Nuthall, on the evening of 25 June last year when three men smashed their way in wearing gloves and balaclavas.
Spotting that at least one of the intruders was wielding a hammer, the victim fled the address by jumping out of an upstairs window, breaking his leg in the process.
The intruders – John McNee, Craig Morgan and another man – then tried and failed to steal a high-value vehicle from the driveway.
They eventually fled the scene with £500 in cash and a mobile phone.
McNee and Morgan were identified from CCTV footage and mobile phone data that linked them to the local area.
They were also linked to a stolen car used in the commission of the offence, which had travelled in convoy with a car registered to John McNee, who admitted to carrying a knife to the scene.
Damningly, detectives also recovered CCTV footage from McNee’s home address showing both men together immediately before and after the break-in.
McNee, 46, of Tunstall Crescent, Nottingham, and Morgan, 53, of Lymn Avenue, Gedling, both pleaded guilty to burglary.
A third suspect in the case was charged but not convicted in connection with the offence.
In addition, McNee also pleaded guilty to intimidating a witness after phoning a relative of the victim following the offence, and to another burglary in Nottingham city centre in September 2023*.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, McNee and Morgan were jailed for nine and five years respectively.
Detective Constable Tony Tonks, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This was a frightening experience for the victim, who was simply going about his daily business when he was confronted in his own home by masked men.
“Both thought they could simply take what they wanted from this man without consequence, but hadn’t reckoned on the determination of multiple detectives, analysts and other specialist staff at Nottinghamshire Police.
“Together, they were able not only to unmask these men but also to build an utterly compelling case against them that has led to these sentences.”
*Shaun Watson, aged 46, of Oakleigh Street, Nottingham, was jailed for 32 months for his part in the city centre burglary, which took place at Gordon House on 5 September 2023.
