Violent puppy thieves jailed after Glasgow machete raid Published duration 18 February

Three men have been jailed after staging a violent raid on a house in Glasgow to steal eight puppies.

Liam Kinsella, 27, Samuel Durnion, 21 and Ben Murphy, 19,smashed into the home of Leanne Hodge in Castlemilk last August.

They held a machete against the throat of a 10-year-old girl inside the property before stealing eight three-week old Bull Mastiff puppies.

It is not known how many of the dogs, valued at £8,000, were returned.

The three men were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after admitting acting with others in the assault and robbery.

'Pre-meditated'

Kinsella was jailed for five years and three months while Durnion received a four year prison term. Murphy was sentenced to 30 months

Lord Beckett described the raid as "pre-meditated" and said it has had a "profound" effect on Ms Hodge and others involved.

Addressing Kinsella - who also admitted to a similar crime on an ex-boss - the judge said: "It seems these attacks were carried out on your agenda against others you felt had harmed you and your family."

Durnion will also be supervised for a further two years on his release.

The raid on Ms Hodge's home happened on 21 August last year while she was at home with her partner. Three children were also there.

image copyright Google image caption The Castlemilk robbery took place in Barlia Drive

The robbers stormed in armed with machetes and hammers as a 10-year-old girl made her way downstairs.

One of the armed men grabbed the girl and screamed at her, asking where her father was.

As the family hid for their safety, the gang took the puppies.

'Seduced by excitement'

A high-profile appeal was later launched to try to find the robbers and the three-week-old pets.

When police arrived they found keys belonging to a Volkswagen Polo the gang had driven there. They also recovered a number of items including a letter in the name of Murphy, and his passport.

Kinsella was involved in an armed robbery five days earlier at the home of his former boss George Murray in Wishaw.

David Nicolson, defending Murphy, said: "He is a young man who was seduced by the excitement of being involved."

Durnion's advocate Louise Arrol said he was not the person who held the machete at the girl.

Prosecutors told the hearing that the Crown "does not appear to know the perpetrator of that particular act".

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