Gang blowtorched family's house then tried to steal blood-stained evidence in 'immensely traumatic' burglary

Bahader Khan, 28, pleaded guilty to being part of a group who committed the raid on a house in Whitehill Green, Illingworth, Halifax, on May 9.->

-> Escort fleeced disabled man out of £14,000 by pretending she wanted marry himBradford Crown Court were told that at around 3.50am, the family at the house, including two young children, were disturbed by men trying to smash down their front door with a rock.

The gang had also used a blowtorch to try and melt the locks to gain access to the property.

Despite the family trying to disturb the men by shouting at them, they managed to smash a kitchen window and steal the keys to a Volkswagen Golf and drive the vehicle away.

Police attended the scene to speak to the family, but at 6am, around 20 minutes after officers left, the gang then returned to the house to try and dispose of any evidence linking them to the crime.

-> Man makes first court appearance charged with horrific sex attack in Leeds city centreAfter again hearing a noise, the family saw one of the group trying to put glass from the broken window into a recycling bag along with some blinds, which had earlier been smashed with a crowbar.

DI Gary Stephenson from Calderdale CID said after the case: ‘Khan is one of an organised group of criminals who have travelled throughout West Yorkshire and Lancashire.

‘We have committed specialist resources to these investigations and it was only a matter of time before his criminal activities caught up with him.

‘We are continuing to proactively investigate other offences and individuals involved in residential burglaries.’