Terrifying moment boy, 11, has 'gun held to head in masked raid on family home'

21 September 2023 , 19:55

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Terrifying moment boy, 11, has 'gun held to head in masked raid on family home'

An 11-year-old boy had a gun held to his head by armed robbers after they stormed his family home, it is claimed.

The masked intruders allegedly stole a Rolex, car keys and expensive jewellery and are also said to have put a knife to a 71-year-old grandma's neck during the horror raid in Walsall, West Midlands. CCTV shows six men entering the Athlone Road property shortly before 12.30pm yesterday, before they allegedly made violent threats to the family and demanded cash and expensive jewellery.

The men are then seen leaving the home and getting into a Range Rover parked on the family's driveway, before fleeing on foot 'when the immobiliser kicked in'. West Midlands Police confirmed it is investigating an "aggravated robbery" at the address and has launched an urgent appeal for information.

A man was seen knocking on the door

A 45-year-old man, whose son and parents were threatened inside the house, told BlackCountryLive: "My son was there, he was very shook up. He is only 11. These guys had guns, they put a gun to his head and they put a knife to my mom's throat, which is his grandmother, then they put a gun to my dad's head. My son was pleading with them 'please don't shoot my grandad, don't stab my grandma'. He was crying and screaming but they weren't bothered."

The distraught father claims the men "grabbed his son" and threatened to "tie him up and strangle" him, leading to pleas from his auntie and own father to "leave him alone". He added: "My family asked them 'what do you want?' and they said 'we want cash'. We don't have cash at home, nobody has cash these days."

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The CCTV shows several people rushing into the house

"They said 'arrange it for us' Then they started going through my mom's handbag." The man says the armed robbers also came equipped with "cable ties" and feared they would have tied up his family, and the ordeal would have gone on "for hours", had his brother not turned up soon after the break-in. They came at 12.23pm, my brother has turned up at 12.33pm," he continued. "They have walked him back in the house and they said 'if you want to see your parents alive, shut your mouth and get back inside'. They said (to him) 'take your chain off, take your bangles off, give us your car keys'."

The father believes his brother's arrival sparked concern among the robbers that others would turn up. He says they then tried to steal his 71-year-old mom's Mercedes off the driveway but failed as it had an immobiliser. They also tried taking his brother's Range Rover, which also had an immobiliser, and they ended up fleeing on foot, he added. In total they were at the house for 11 minutes, said the father. West Midlands Police has since taken the Range Rover for forensic examinations, the father said.

The group are seen getting into a Range Rover before fleeing on foot

He said within "one minute" of the gang fleeing, around "15 to 20" neighbours turned up having been alerted to the incident on the estate's WhatsApp group, which was set up by the father's brother four years ago. "The people actually get there quicker than the police," he said.

"They didn't take any cash, they took a Rolex, two bangles, a chain, two pendants. They took my mom's car keys and my brother's car keys." He added: "It has scared my son for life. We went back to my parent's house this morning and he was scared to go back inside the house. My mom has been awake all night, she says she keeps seeing the same people over and over again."

In response to the story, a spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We are investigating an aggravated robbery at a home on Athlone Road, Park Hall, shortly after 12.30pm yesterday (Wed) where a group of men armed with weapons entered the property and made threats to a woman and a boy. Property was taken including cash, jewellery and a watch as well as keys to a number of vehicles."

"We are aware of CCTV footage circulating on social media showing a number of men trying to steal a Range Rover from the drive before running off. We are in the early stages of our enquiry and would urge people who may have information to please contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101 quoting crime investigation number 20/822417/23."

Jamie Brassington