Burglars attacked man's car after he pursued them following break-in

Soufian Essa and Tarik Yamel lobbed bricks at the victim’s car as he desperately tried to reverse away from them while Essa chillingly told him: “You are going to die”.

The duo, both 20, were responsible for a burglary and an attempted burglary in Middlesbrough committed within an hour of each other on November 2 last year.

Prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, David Crook said Essa and Yamel were disturbed after being spotted in a garden in Clough Close.

When they were asked what they were doing, one said in a foreign accent: “We are looking for John”.

Only later did the homeowners, who had been in bed, discover the beading around a set of French doors had been removed, causing the glass to fall through, and a handbag and its contents taken.

Essa, of Peaton Street, Middlesbrough, and Yamel, of no fixed abode, left footprints behind and forensic evidence linked them to the scene.

An hour later, at 2.20am, the defendants tried the door of a property in Harford Street. They were seen in the street with their hoods pulled over their heads and followed by a student householder in his car.

When they were challenged by the man, Essa asked him if he had any cigarettes or “hash” and then said he'd kill him. “Both defendants began chasing [the victim] as he reversed his vehicle away and threw objects at it,” said Mr Crook.

The court heard how Algerian-born Essa had been smuggled into the country, given temporary leave to remain, and was now struggling to survive on a limited income, while Yamel, who had self-harmed while on remand in prison, was in a similar situation.

They each pleaded guilty to burglary, attempted burglary and affray.

Recorder Andrew Haslam said he had sympathy for both and their financial circumstances, but that was “no excuse for what you did”.

He told them: “People are entitled to think they are safe in their own homes. Some people never get over the trauma of being burgled.”