Greetland couple's terror as masked knife-wielding thugs break into their home and take rare £25,000 Audi

A young couple have spoken about the terrifying moment masked men broke into their Calderdale home, armed themselves with steak knives and threatened to stab them.
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Ben Davies and Hanna Kyle were awoken by knife-wielding thugs who broke into their home to steal a rare £25,000 Audi A3.

The masked raiders searched downstairs for the car keys before grabbing steak knives from the kitchen.

They then confronted the terrified couple in their bedroom.

Ben Davies and Hanna Kyle were awoken by knife-wielding thugsBen Davies and Hanna Kyle were awoken by knife-wielding thugs
Ben Davies and Hanna Kyle were awoken by knife-wielding thugs
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The couple were awoken by flashlights and Ben, 25, desperately tried to keep the two men out of their bedroom as the raiders tried to batter down the door.

In the end salesman Ben handed over the keys and the men fled.

Hannah, 24, told the how drama happened at 4.50am on Thursday October 1 at their two-bed terraced home in Greetland.

“Anything could have happened to us, and all this because of a piece of metal,” said Hannah.

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“They think it is a victimless crime, stealing a car. They won’t think about me and Ben now.

“They have destroyed our peace of mind and we don’t feel safe in our own home anymore. It was terrifying.”

Ben had only bought the car from a main dealer in Huddersfield just over a week before.

The couple planned to upgrade security but didn’t get the chance.

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Hannah said: “We have a new kitten and it was the kitten jumping on Ben that woke him up. We just saw some lights and I thought at first it was a car going down the street outside but the lights were moving around. They were torches and they were inside.

“Ben got up and there were two masked men with knives who were shouting: ‘Give us the keys or we will stab you.’

“Ben tried to keep the bedroom door shut but they were battering the door. He had to have over the keys.”

Hannah said the raiders fled, dropping the knives they had taken from the kitchen. They later found Ben’s £350 Hugo Boss watch had also been stolen.

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The raiders had used a blow torch to force the lock on the UPVC door.

One of the men drove off in Ben’s car while the other made off in a waiting car at the end of the street.

Police told the couple the getaway car was a stolen blue car which drove off towards Copley.

Hannah, who works in motor insurance, said the couple were still traumatised and added: “It still doesn’t seem real. They didn’t know who was at the other side of the bedroom door.

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“It could have been someone who keeps a Samurai sword at the side of their bed or what would have happened if I’d been on my own? It could have ended so differently.”

Hannah said thieves had obviously targeted the Audi, a rare 17-plate model in white, as they had ignored the keys to her Mini which were downstairs.

The police have since advised them to leave their car keys visible at the top of the stairs, though they said it was rare for people to be attacked in this way.

So-called Hanoi burglaries, where thieves break into homes for car keys, were fairly common but there were rarely any confrontations.

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“I want people to know what can happen,” said Hannah. “People need to make it as hard as possible for these gangs, use sash jammers on doors and windows, fit CCTV and alarms and put steering locks on cars. The longer it takes, the more it will put them off and we will all be safe.”

Police told the couple the car has probably been broken up for parts. The couple weren’t physically hurt.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police confirmed they were investigating reports of an aggravated burglary and enquiries by Calderdale CID remained ongoing.

Anyone with information should contact police via 101 quoting crime reference number 13200491163.