Five Masked Men Turned Up at a Woman’s Home in the Middle of the Night and Rang the Doorbell — When She Didn’t Open the Door, They Did Something That Left Her Terrified

A woman and her daughter went through a terrifying experience after five masked men forced their way into their home in the middle of the night.

Rayhaan Saleem, 19, was one of five men who broke into a house on Deighton Road in Huddersfield in May this year. Leeds Crown Court heard that the woman was at home with her daughter when the frightening incident happened.

Earlier that night, the woman had sent a message to her son asking if he had his key and when he would be home. At about 2.05am, she received a motion alert from her Ring doorbell. At first, she thought it was her son arriving, but when she checked the camera, she saw five men she did not recognise. They were all wearing face coverings or had T-shirts pulled over their faces.

The woman immediately ran into her daughter’s bedroom, which overlooks the front of the house. Looking out of the window, she saw the men climbing over the front fence. She quickly called 999 for help.

As the men entered the property, the woman and her daughter heard loud smashing and banging coming from downstairs. The emergency call handler told them to stay inside the bedroom and barricade the door until police arrived. The pair remained trapped in the room, fearing for their lives.

West Yorkshire Police officers reached the house within minutes and found that all five men were still inside. A kitchen window at the back of the property had been smashed.

Two of the intruders tried to escape through the broken window but ran back inside when they spotted the police. Officers found two of the suspects hiding in a bathroom, while another was discovered on the landing.

One member of the gang managed to escape and has still not been identified. Police also found a machete in the kitchen, which had been brought to the house during the burglary.

The woman later described how the attack had completely changed her life. She said her home, where she had lived for 14 years, no longer felt safe. Since the break-in, she and her daughter have been staying with her father in his small one-bedroom bungalow because they are too frightened to return home.

She explained that she now feels constantly on edge and always looks over her shoulder. Loud noises, especially the sound of breaking glass, trigger panic and anxiety. She already suffered from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but said the break-in made those conditions much worse. She also struggles to sleep and keeps reliving the terrifying events in her mind.

The woman told the court she now suffers from heart palpitations, rarely wants to leave the house and worries that the people involved could return to take revenge.

Saleem had already admitted charges of burglary and possessing a bladed weapon. The court also heard that he had previous convictions for attempted robbery, robbery and carrying a knife.

His lawyer told the court that Saleem had only recently turned 19 when the offence happened and had found being held in custody very difficult. The defence said he had been offered a place to continue the second year of his university degree in September and argued that he had experienced a difficult childhood, including witnessing domestic violence at home. His lawyer said the young man was at a turning point in his life and urged the court to consider his chances of changing for the better.

However, Judge Clark said that although there was some hope for rehabilitation, Saleem’s criminal record could not be ignored. The judge ruled that an immediate prison sentence was necessary because of the seriousness of the offence.

Saleem was sentenced to 26 months in a young offenders’ institution. The judge said the punishment reflected the serious impact the violent burglary had on the victims, who are still living with the emotional effects of that terrifying night.