Couple left 'helpless' after blowtorch gang returned to steal car hours after burglary
Gang burnt their way into home looking for keys
A worried couple were left watching helplessly after a gang broke into their home to steal their two sets of car keys, then returned hours later to take their other car.
A high-powered BMW M4 was taken during the raid, but after calling the police, the man and woman feared that the thieves would return for the Audi A6 on their driveway having already taken the keys.
CCTV showed that the gang had used a blowtorch to burn the lock and gain entry to the house, stealing the car keys.
Teenager Madoc Holmes was locked up at Leeds Crown Court this week after being identified as one of the culprits.
The court heard that the couple from Tingley were woken by a loud bang at around 3.30am on March 14, then saw their BMW being driven off the driveway.
Two others were in the Audi but got out and ran as the police were called.
At 5.25am, two of the the thieves, including Holmes, returned and stole the Audi as the couple watched on.
The Audi was eventually located by officers and a crash occurred which set off the Audi’s airbags.
Holmes, 19, had to be restrained as police took hold of him. He had a balaclava and gloves on him.
The Audi, worth up to £70,000, was written off. The BMW is thought to have been worth around £40,000.
Holmes, of Howden Close, Barnsley, admitted a dwelling burglary and two counts of theft.
He has one previous conviction from 2024 in which was fined for being conveyed in a vehicle that was taken without the owner’s consent.
He appeared in court this week over a video link from HMP Doncaster where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Brogan Riley said his best point was his age, adding: “There’s still plenty of time for him to change his life around.”
She called it a “blip” on his record after saying he had not spent his youth “troubling the courts”.
She said he wants to train as a welder and work for his father’s business.
Ms Riley added: “He says it has been a wake-up call. He has been able to reflect on his actions.
“He has demonstrated genuine remorse. He struggles to explain why he became involved. It’s clearly immaturity.”
Judge Simon Phillips KC described the break-in as “pre-planned” and “organised”, telling him it had to be immediate custody, despite his age.
He put him behind bars for 27 months.