Teenage boys jailed for burgling elderly couple whilst armed with knives

Two teenage boys have been jailed for threatening an elderly couple in their home with knives during a burglary in Sarisbury Green.

The incident occurred at around 4.30pm on 5 February last year when the boys, now aged 15 and 17 respectively, entered an address in Barnbrook Road.

The occupants of the address, both aged in their 80s, were watching television together at the time when the boys entered their home.

One of the boys, who was holding a knife, made demands for car keys but was chased out of the house by one of the victims.

The same victim then discovered the second boy, who had come out of a bedroom wearing a ski mask and holding a knife.

The boy made demands for car keys, before taking a set of keys himself and running out of the house. The victim gave chase and found the keys discarded on the floor outside.

Subsequent police enquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses, led to the identification of the two teenage suspects.

The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were subsequently charged with aggravated burglary. They both admitted the offence when they appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on 16 December 2024.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 3 January 2025), the 17-year-old boy was jailed for 40 months, and the 15-year-old was jailed for two years.

DC Paul Osborne, from the Eastern Area Crime Team, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the couple involved, who were threatened at knifepoint in their own home.

“They were extremely brave during the burglary itself, and have continued to show courage throughout the police investigation.

“We know that the community will be particularly shocked by the young ages of the defendants in this instance. These kinds of aggravated burglary are rare in any case, and rarer still to involve children.

“No one should have to experience what the victims were subjected to that day - the behaviour of the defendants was appalling and we will never tolerate this type of crime. Officers made painstaking efforts to review hours of CCTV footage and follow up every line of enquiry available to identify the two boys involved. I hope the community can be reassured that we have caught the people responsible for this awful crime, and they have now been sentenced.”