Three men jailed over robbery that saw boy, 11, shot and his dad knifed in the head

Three men who carried out a violent burglary in which an 11-year-old boy was shot and his dad was stabbed in the head have been jailed for a total of 53 years.

At around 9.30pm on May 1 2020, police were called to a home in Upminster, east London where officers found the boy in a serious condition and the man, aged in his 40s, with stab wounds to his head.

Detectives established the man had opened the front door to a person who claimed to be a delivery driver.

As he bent down to collect the parcel, he was knocked to the ground by a group of men who forced entry.

They demanded the homeowner hand over any money and threatened to harm his son.

During the incident, a shotgun that was legally held at the address was discharged, resulting in a gunshot wound to the child's shoulder. The injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.

The group left the property with around £20,000 worth of jewellery and watches.

Officers reviewed number plate and mobile phone data from the area and recovered doorbell footage of the suspects who were later arrested and charged.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday Anthony Lascelles, (above) 34, from Romford was sentenced to 18 years and Christopher Sargent, 28, (top image) from East Ham, was sentenced to 15 years after they earlier pleaded guilty to the robbery.

Ajaypal Singh, 28, (below) from Ilford, was found guilty of robbery after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply and possession of a pointed/bladed article and was sentenced to 20 years.

All three were given an extended licence period of five years.

In her sentencing remarks, Her Honour Judge Lees commended Detective Constable Darren Warner for his "intelligent, honest and reasonable" approach to the investigation.

“It is clear to me that he is an outstanding officer of whom the MPS should be proud,” she added.

DC Warner said: "This result is the conclusion of a complex investigation into a serious and violent crime that had a significant impact on the local community. It also left a family, including a young child, terrified.

"They will never be able to forget what happened to them that night.

“I am grateful to the members of the public who came forward to assist the investigation - in the Metropolitan Police we know that we are most effective when we police with the support of the public, working together to tackle those causing the most harm.”