Two men from Bedford have been sent to jail after they attacked and burgled a couple in St Neots.

On May 31, 2020, a St Neots couple were left "terrified" after Marco Sellitto, 34, and Corey Deards, 25, who were both armed, smashed into their home on Great North Road.

At around 2am the burglars broke in and put a gun inside the mouth of the man inside of the home, who knew the pair. They beat him with a mental pole and demanded money from him.

The victim was repeatedly hit in the face with the pole and the gun, the force of which knocked several of his teeth out.

He also suffered three broken ribs and the left side pneumothorax, which is a build-up of air outside of the lung putting it at risk of collapsing.

His partner, who was upstairs at the time, was also assaulted as she ran downstairs to see what was happening.

She had a sentimental gold necklace grabbed from her neck and £200 was stolen from the main bedroom.

Sellitto and Deards left the house in taxis headed to Bedford. Cambridgeshire Police were called and some of the stolen items were found at the back of the house, including the man's passport and some cash.

The metal pole was found in a nearby alleyway, covered in the victim's blood, and a car with false plates was parked near the house which had a bag inside containing Sellitto's fingerprints.

The total damage caused to the house was £1,800.

One of the taxis that the pair caught had CCTV inside which identified both Sellitto and Deards, and the other taxi driver described Sellitto. The couple also picked out both men in an ID parade.

In police interview Sellitto denied all knowledge of the offence, while Deards answered no comment to all questions asked of him.

The pair stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court this week, but were found guilty on Tuesday (August 20) of aggravated burglary.

Sellitto, of Faldo Road, Bedford, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Deards, of Cedar Road, Bedford, was handed six years and six months in prison.

DC Louise Clarke said: "This was a frightening experience for the victims who were terrified as the criminals smashed their way into their home. The man was seriously assaulted, and the attack left him in a coma in hospital.

"Deards and Sellitto also stole irreplaceable sentimental jewellery and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the house.

"I am glad justice has been done and hope the verdicts and sentence will bring some comfort and closure for the victims.

"Burglary is a priority area for us and we will work hard to bring those who think they can target other people’s homes to justice."