Pontefract family feared they would be killed by burglars with machetes and knives

A gang of five men wielding machetes, knuckledusters and knives terrorised a couple whilst their young son was sleeping.

The men smashed their way into their home in Pontefract and demanded expensive jewellery and money.

Rebecca Davis, 29, said she feared the men would kill her and her partner, 28-year-old Kieran Forbes.

One of the men held a knife to her neck whilst another hit her partner with a machete and a knuckleduster, fracturing his eye socket.

"I really think they would have killed us both if they'd been there any longer and my little boy would have woken up and found all that," said Ms Davis.

"I shouldn't have to teach my four year old son to dial 999 but I have."

She described how she had gone to check whether her son had fallen out of bed after hearing a bang.

Two of the men confronted her on her landing, one carrying a large knife and the other a machete.

Initially, Ms Davis barricaded herself in the couple's bedroom with her partner but they opened the door fearing the gang would find their son instead.

Mr Forbes handed over watches to the men and offered them money from his wallet.

They left the house after eight minutes which Ms Davis described as the "longest eight minutes" of her life.

"I think they targeted us because they knew what they wanted, but I think they were expecting more money.

"When we gave them what we'd got they said - is that it?" she said.

"Since my partner shared this on social media people have told us about similar things, this is happening in our community and I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what we did that night."

The gang were captured on the couple's CCTV at the front and back of the house but they were all wearing face masks during the attack.

The incident happened on Good Friday at 10.20pm after the couple had gone to bed.

West Yorkshire Police said it is being investigated and appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.