THREE teenagers have been jailed for burgling a man at gunpoint.

The Wiltshire trio, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday, June 21, after pleading guilty to a string of offences in February.

A 16-year-old boy was sentenced to 40 months in prison for burglary, two counts of theft, aggravated burglary and having a firearm with intent.

A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 32 months in prison for burglary, theft, aggravated burglary, and having a firearm with intent.

Another 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for aggravated burglary, having a firearm with intent, dangerous driving, having a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis.

He has also been disqualified from driving for 44 months and will need to take an extended test.

It follows an incident on December 11, 2023, when two of them targeted a house in Fisherton de la Mere and stole a BMW.

On December 23, the pair returned with a 14-year-old (now 15), and broke into the garage stealing a hedge trimmer, golf clubs, a chainsaw, charging equipment and wellies.

Then on December 27 the trio broke into the house again, and carried out an aggravated burglary, stealing an Audi.

Read more: Reform UK Salisbury candidate says Putin 'seemed very good'

This sparked a 15-minute police chase which involved the 14-year-old driving at speeds of up to 120mph from Devizes Road, up the A303 to Berwick St James.

Victim scarred by gang's intrusion

In a statement read to the court, one of their victim's said: "In the early evening of the 27th of December I walked into my kitchen to be faced by a masked man wearing a hat and pointing a handgun directly at me.

"Stalling for time I explained that I need to go to the loo, to which, gun in hand, he agreed. He then closed me in the loo, using a chair to block the door shut. I decided that I needed to escape, and as soon as I detected he was no longer outside the door, I managed to wriggle the chair free.

"I then fled from the house in bare feet, to my next-door neighbour, where we called the police. The memory of the gang's intrusions will remain a scar on my memory for a very, very long time to come."

See more: ​Dogs Trust Salisbury warns owners about walking their pets in heat

PC Jack Williams, from the Burglary and Serious Youth Gang Violence Team, said: "This was a harrowing incident which saw three teenagers armed with weapons force their way into a home, threaten the occupants and rob one of them.

"The group targeted this house not once, but three times over a short period. It is this kind of situation which can have a long-lasting impact on the victim and affect their sense of security and privacy in their own home, a place where they should feel completely safe.

"They then led police officers on a 15-minute pursuit, travelling at speeds of up to 120mph from Devizes Road, Salisbury, up the A303 before coming off the road in Berwick St James. It's lucky that no-one was injured."