Family held up at gunpoint in north Leeds home

The gang struck on Manor House Lane, Wigton Lane, Alwoodley, last Saturday.

The couple said a gun was placed to the heads of their 16-year-old daughters and a knife to their 62-year-old father’s throat.

He was closing the house door to go and collect his son when he was grabbed around the throat by one of three men brandishing a shotgun at 10.25pm and pushed back inside.

The gunman ordered: “Don’t say anything, be quiet” before demanding the family’s whereabouts.

With a knife around his throat he was pushed into a room where the two girls were watching TV.

Upstairs the girl’s mother opening the bathroom door to a knock was confronted by two men in balaclavas - one holding a gun.

She screamed and was soon on the floor. One man told her she would not be harmed if she did as ordered before grabbing the 50-year-old’s jewellery and dragging her downstairs.

Seeing her father with a knife at his throat and hearing her mother’s scream, one daughter flew at a raider and grappled him to the floor.

For the next 20 minutes the gang continually, shouted, threatened and swore,repeatedly refusing to accept there was little cash in the house.

On two occasions they smashed family mobile phones under foot. One daughter was physically sick with fright. Twice the men threatened to shoot both girls unless the family produced cash. They were offered what little cash they had and the use of bank cards.

The gang took the family’s silver Volvo 4 x 4 XC90 after making the father show them how to open the automatic gates. The family required medication to sleep and have employed security guards. The father said: “The worst was seeing guns put to my childrens heads, I felt so helpless.” His wife said: “I thought I would have a heart attack.”

All three robbers are suspected to be Asian - possibly Indian or Pakistani. One was dark skinned, slim and over 6ft tall. He wore green and dark khaki camouflage jacket and trousers. A second about 5ft 7in tall was chubby. The third was 5ft 9in tall. Two had local accents.

Anyone who saw such men near Manor House Lane or abandoning the Volvo at Holtdale Garth, Leeds, is asked to contact Det Con Tony Thewlis on 0845 6060606.