'Where's the safe': Terrifying ordeal for Shropshire mother and daughter as burglars smash their way into the wrong house
A mother and daughter were left terrified when burglars smashed their way into their Shropshire village home demanding a safe - having targeted the wrong property.
Callous raiders Gary Milner and Ronan Hutchinson believed they were targeting a house used to sell drugs - but instead botched their intended victims.
The pair instead smashed their way into the house of an unsuspecting, and entirely innocent, mother and daughter.
The victims were threatened and told to hand over the safe.
The pair were held in a room by Hutchinson, who knocked the mother unconscious while Milner desperately searched for the non-existent safe.
Milner, 45, of Orchid Meadow, Minsterley, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court today, and the Shropshire Star can now reveal that Hutchinson, 25, and of no-fixed-abode, was jailed for 50 months in April this year.
Restrictions imposed by the court meant the Hutchinson's sentence could not be revealed until the conclusion of Milner's case.
Milner had pleaded guilty to one burglary and one count of assaulting an emergency worker.
Oliver King, prosecuting, explained that the terrifying ordeal had taken place on March 20 last year, in the North Shropshire village of Prees.
He told how the police had received a 999 call, and added: "No one was speaking but police could hear two distressed females and in the background two men demanding money."
Officers arrived on the scene in just six minutes, but during that time the victims were still subjected to a harrowing ordeal.
Mr King explained how the mother and daughter heard the sound of smashing glass at their front door, as Hutchinson and Milner forced their way inside.
The court was told that the men wanted a safe and "that the presence of mother daughter did not deter them from that purpose".
The robbers had actually believed they were targeting a house used to sell drugs, with one of men shouting "I have had ******* thousands from here last year".
Both women were held in a room by Hutchinson, while Milner went to search the property.
After telling Hutchinson they did not have a safe, the burglar accused the terrified residents of lying.
Mr King explained how he became "increasingly agitated", and threatened to "knock them out" if they did not help.
He did then hit the mother, causing her to lose consciousness.
Police arrived at the property with PC Hannah Justice confronting Milner as he tried to get away.
Milner threw a pair of scissors at the officer - an attack which provided enough distraction for him to escape.
However, both defendants were caught soon after thanks to a combination of police body-worn camera footage and CCTV.
In total they made off with £300 that the daughter had saved for a holiday, along with her mobile telephone.
Milner told police he had an alibi, which proved false, while his own mobile showed it had been in communication with Hutchinson's phone before and after the incident, and had also accessed the cell site in Prees at the time.
A victim impact statement from the daughter explained how the ordeal had left her scared to be at home, and that she still has daily flashbacks.
She added: "Daily I run through the worst case scenarios of what could have happened."
The court was told Milner has 46 convictions for 107 offences - including a previous dwelling burglary, and three non-dwelling burglaries, the most recent in 2023.
Alexa Carrier, mitigating for Milner, highlighted that Hutchinson had been responsible for falsely imprisoning the victims and not her client.
She added that were he to go to prison he would lose his house, and that he has not committed any offences since the raid.
Ms Carrier also pointed to a pre-sentence report which recommended a community order for the offences.
But, Judge Trevor Meegan, sentencing, said he disagreed and that an immediate jail sentence was needed to protect the public.
He said: "This undoubtedly has had a serious emotional and psychological impact on both victims."
He added: "I disagree with the author of the pre-sentence report. I find you are of a real risk of reoffending I am afraid.
"I am afraid the record over the last 20 years speaks for itself."
Milner was sentenced to two years and five months in prison. He will serve half and be released on licence, minus three months he has already spent on electronically monitored tag.