A BRADFORD man and his accomplice have been jailed for a total of nearly 15 years after they burst into the home of a mother and son demanding gold and money, leaving both injured, before they fled empty-handed.

Leeds Crown Court yesterday heard on September 7 last year Tazeem Bi had just made a meal for her son Ali Ditta at their address in Batley Carr and they went to eat it in the living room.

Angus MacDonald, prosecuting, said they heard someone knocking at the door and Mrs Bi opened the window and looked out seeing Christopher Pratt and Patrick Nicholson who claimed to be from the gas company calling to do some work.

Her son joined her at the window and was immediately suspicious about the men and told them to go away or he would call the police.

Mr MacDonald said Mrs Bi had left a side door open for ventilation and the next thing she and her son knew was the two men entering the living room.

One of them immediately said: “right then where’s the gold, where’s the money?” When told there was none Nicholson became involved in a scuffle during which he hit Mrs Bi.

After he went towards the kitchen Pratt then approached her making further demands and her son then grabbed him causing both of them to fall on the floor.

Mr MacDonald said Mrs Bi picked up a glass jug and hit Pratt on the head with it causing him to let go of her son.

By then Nicholson had armed himself with pan or wok from the kitchen and tried to hit Mr Ditta with it but was also struck by Mrs Bi with the jug.

Nicholson then picked up a glass jug but before he could use it Mr Ditta had pushed it into his face causing a cut which bled on to the floor.

Pratt again began struggling with Mr Ditta but Mrs Bi then armed herself with a vacuum cleaner pipe which she used to hit Pratt and both intruders then ran off leaving the area in a Mondeo car.

Both their victims were left injured Mrs Bi suffering bruising and her son had glass fragments taken from his foot and needed stitches in a head laceration. His mother described herself as feeling scared and vulnerable since the incident.

The court heard the pair believed Mr Ditta had been drug dealing and that there would be money in the property. That was denied by the occupant.

James Lake, for Nicholson, said what had happened had gone beyond what was anticipated in his mind that day. They had not set out to rob anybody.

He said at the time Nicholson was a drug user and had taken steps while in custody to sort that out. He also had been moved to a different prison as a result of attacks on him because of his actions last September.

Tariq Hussain, for Pratt, said he had no previous convictions for violence and he had no drug debt to settle. He was married with three children and would pay a heavy price for his mistake.

Pratt, 31 of Norman Grove, Eccleshill, Bradford who was found guilty by a jury of attempted robbery was jailed for eight years. Nicholson, 30 of Bradford Road, Cleckheaton, who admitted attempted robbery was jailed for six years and nine months.

Recorder Henry Prosser told them on the evidence he heard at trial he was prepared to accept their intended purpose had been a burglary which had “de-generated” after both went into the home of the victims subjecting them to violence.

After the case Detective Inspector Shaun Bartram said: “Nicholson and Pratt are dangerous men and prolific offenders and I am pleased for the residents of the communities they operated in that they are once again off the streets

“The crime they committed was brutal and resulted in a man in a man receiving a significant facial injury and a woman being assaulted, both while they were in their own home.”

“I hope these convictions send a message that this sort of behaviour will result in lengthy sentences.”