Gang who held knife to baby's throat after storming home in robbery have been jailed - National

Cousins Joshua Juggan and Malik Ragnatt, along with Daniel McKain and Gregory Crockett, tied two female occupants to chairs and ransacked the property in the Stoke area of Coventry on June 18, 2018.

West Midlands Police said that, when the men discovered a safe inside a kitchen cupboard containing cash, one of the gang held a craft knife to a 10-month-old baby's throat.

After ripping out the safe and taking jewellery, the gang fled in a car, later pulling off at a motorway slip road to divide up the cash, after using a crowbar to force the safe's door.

But a sharp-eyed member of the public took the vehicle's registration number and two of the men were intercepted by police on the M40 motorway.

Juggan, 24, of Alvey Street, Southwark, south-east London, and 21-year-old Ragnatt, of Bensham Lane, Croydon, south London, were arrested in the vehicle.

A search of the Ford Focus found £1,400 in £20 notes, along with balaclavas and duct tape.

Messages on both men's phones linked them to co-conspirators 29-year-old McKain, of Clarewood Walk, Lambeth, south London, and Gregory Crockett, 24, of Friary Road, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, who were arrested later.

All four men later admitted robbery, and Crockett pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, but all denied threatening the baby.

At Warwick Crown Court on July 12, Crockett was jailed for 12 years, McKain for 11 years, and Juggan for 10 years.

Ragnatt was sentenced on Tuesday July 23 and also jailed for 10 years.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Constable Tom Simpson said: ‘This was a truly sickening case - it's hard to imagine that anyone could stoop so low as to threaten to injure a baby.

‘There was another young child in the address at the time but thankfully no-one was hurt and the offenders left with a quantity of cash and jewellery.’

He added: ‘A witness did a fantastic job in noting down the VRM of getaway car – and while they spent time smoking drugs in Birmingham we were already fast-tracking enquiries on the Focus to identify Juggan as the likely driver.

‘As they were heading back to London they clearly thought they’d made their escape – but soon came face to face with armed police who stopped the car near junction 10.

‘We soon identified Crockett and McKain as the two other men involved – and I’m pleased the court has handed down lengthy prison terms for what was a shocking robbery conspiracy.’