Three men who were part of a group that raided an address near Macclesfield and threatened the occupants with knives and hammers have been jailed.

Rebanne Cantrill, 19, Devon Patterson, 21, and John McLeod, 19, were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 22nd April via video link.

They were jailed for a combined total of more than 30 years.

A fourth member of the group, an 18-year-old man from Manchester, is set to be sentenced later this year.

Cantrill, of Brigham Street, Manchester, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, Patterson, of Stan Jolley Walk, Manchester, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years and McLeod, of Back Haslam Street, Bury, was handed an eight-and-a-half-year custodial sentence.

The trio had all earlier pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to an incident which occurred at around 4pm on Tuesday 17 December.

The victims – a married couple and their 10-year-old child – were getting ready for dinner at their home in Rainow, when the group burst into the property.

The four men held the victims at knifepoint and threatened them with a claw hammer, demanding their savings.

The group stole their mobile phones and demanded the passcodes for them.

They also forced the victims to hand over the watches from their wrists, along with other watches and valuable items from a jewellery box.

The men then began to search the address. Whilst doing so, they thought they had been spotted by a neighbour.

Fearing that the police had been called, the men started to make their way out of the property.

The group made an unsuccessful attempt to steal the family car, before eventually fleeing the scene on foot and ultimately into the surrounding fields.

While the offenders made their escape, the victims locked all their windows and doors and called the police.

Despite their best effort to evade officers, the four men were all quickly arrested after being located by a police helicopter.

Following their sentencing, Detective Sergeant Simon Mills, of Macclesfield CID, said: "The offenders subjected the victims to a terrifying ordeal, holding them at knifepoint in their own home and threatening them with a claw hammers.

"They even assaulted the victims' 12 month old dog with a hammer in an attempt to get the family to hand over their valuable possessions and life savings – a truly despicable action and luckily the young dog did not sustain any serious injuries.

"Thankfully, the offenders cut short their crime after thinking they had been seen by a neighbour and they fled the address.

"I am delighted that the trio have all received a substantial custodial sentence and I hope that this brings some closure to the victims.

"I also hope that the sentences serve as a deterrent to other people and stops them from committing similar crimes."

Two other persons have been arrested in connection to this offence and enquiries remain ongoing with them, whilst a fifth offender has been identified and is currently wanted and being sought after by Police.