A MASKED burglar has been jailed after he broke into a pensioner's home and ‘pistol-whipped’ him with a firearm before fleeing with £10,000 in cash.

Carl Robert Teasdale, 27, has been sentenced to eight years after attacking the 69-year-old man in his home in a small village near Stokesley.

North Yorkshire Police said the victim was home alone watching television in his front room, when he was confronted by the balaclava-clad intruder who was brandishing a handgun.

Teasdale knew his victim’s name and threatened to kill him if he did not hand over £10,000.

Fearing that he would be killed, the victim hit Teasdale around the ­head with a bottle in his attempt to get away.

Teasdale proceeded to hit the victim around the head with the imitation firearm, causing the victim to drop to the floor.

After marching the pensioner around the property emptying jars of money, Teasdale locked the petrified man in the bathroom.

It was from there that the victim managed to smash the window to make his escape from the three-hour ordeal and raise the alarm.

Teasdale fled with £10,000 of cash and the 69 year-old’s vehicle which was recovered a few days later in the Eston area, near Middlesbrough.

York Crown Court heard how Teasdale targeted the address in Potto, a small village near Stokesley, at around 9pm on October 31.

A forensic scientist later matched Teasdale’s DNA to DNA found on a balaclava that was retrieved from inside the victim’s stolen motor.

Teasdale of Bridgend Close, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, assault causing actual bodily harm and theft of a motor vehicle.

In a victim impact statement the man described how the ordeal has had a devastating impact on his life and left his loved ones feeling concerned about his well-being.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Quita Passmore, of North Yorkshire Police’s Hambleton and Richmond CID, said: “This was a violent and cowardly burglary and an extremely terrifying and life changing ordeal for the victim.

"Not only was he threatened with his life in his own home but he was hit around the head with what he believed to be a real gun and locked in his bathroom. Luckily, and bravely, he managed to smash the window and escape to a place of safety where he was able to raise the alarm.

“This court result reflects the hard work put in by the whole investigation team and I’d like to thank all those who played a part in securing this conviction.

“I’m pleased that we’ve secured such a positive result for the victim and hope the sentence handed down today will allow him to move on with his life in the knowledge that Teasdale is behind bars for a very long time.”