Three burglars who broke into a new mum's home while her baby slept in another room have been jailed for more than seven years.

Daniel Dammery and Billy Gall, both 20, from St Ann's Hill, Wandsworth, and George Bangerter, also 20, from Tilehurst Road, Wandsworth, will spend at least the next two years in a young offender's institution.

The trio, who all pleaded guilty to burglary, broke into the mother-of-two's ground floor Wandsworth home, in Windmill Road, via her garden at 1.30am on September 15.

The 39-year-old victim was in bed, with her one-year-old son in a bedroom on the other side of the property, when she heard a noise in the kitchen which lies between the two bedrooms.

Her bedroom door suddenly opened but "frozen with fear" she hid under the duvet and heard several men enter and shine a torch across the room.

Terrified, the woman lay as still as possible hoping her baby did not start crying and disturb the burglars.

She managed to dial 999 while under the duvet and whispered her post code and the words: "young mother alone, burglars in house" to police.

Within minutes squad cars arrived and the burglars ran away through the garden but were quickly found and arrested.

Earlier this year, court rules were changed allowing victims of crimes to read out their impact statements to the defendant.

In a ground-breaking move in court last week the brave victim, who said the ordeal made her feel more like a "hostage than a burglary victim", took the opportunity to scold the burglars directly.

The 39-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, described the impact the break-in has had on her and her family.

Since the incident and prior to last week's sentencing the victim has had to walk past the defendants' houses every day to drop her four-year-old son at school.

The mother-of-two said: "I always thought it was unlikely anyone would break into my house, the most secure place in the world, but I was wrong.

"Even now I get a chill down my spine if I hear a noise in the house and worry that someone will break in and kill us all.

"I experienced every painful moment they were in the house and wondered if me and my baby would get out alive.

"If only these people could spend a day in my life they would realise the enormity of what they have done to me and my family.

"I also wonder if I will ever be able to live the happy carefree life I once did?"

Gall and Dammery were both handed 28 months sentences while Bangerter was jailed for 30 months.

Speaking directly to the trio Judge Fergus Mitchell, sitting at Kingston Crown Court on Friday (February 14), said: "By entering a home you entered a completely different league.

"You have had a significant impact on the victim who was at home with her young child.

"Her impact statement really did make an impact and you have heard what she has had to suffer."


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