Three men who terrified a family when they robbed their home have been sentenced to between 10 and 12 years in prison.

The trio broke into the family home in Balham, where five adults and two children, both aged under 10, were gathered, about 8.30pm on Tuesday, April 14, 2008.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesman said: “The victim went to open the door and three men forced their way in, two were wearing balaclavas and one was brandishing a gun.”

At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, Michael Wright, 25, of Willesden, Angelo Wright, 27, of Northolt and Tomasz Cieplichiewicz, 26, of no fixed address, all pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated burglary, one count of possessing an imitation firearm, five counts of false imprisonment and one count of aggravated vehicle taking.

Cieplichiewicz was sentenced to 10 years. Both Wright’s got 12 years.

The three defendants had prior knowledge of the layout of the property and its contents as Cieplichiewicz had just finished working as a builder on the house, the CPS spokesman said.

The men took personal possessions from the adults and tried to steal a safe, which they put in the owner’s car, which they also stole.

Ten minutes after the incident a witness in Moffatt Road, Tooting, saw the vehicle being dumped and three men leaving the car, dumping clothes as they went.

He called the police who recovered a balaclava and a pair of gloves from a nearby bin.

Michael Wright’s DNA was found on the balaclava and Cieplichiewicz’s DNA was found on the gloves. Angelo Wright was picked out in an ID parade.

CPS London lawyer Tarryn McCaffrey said: “This was a violent and very frightening incident for the family involved and the sentences passed today mean that three very dangerous men are off the streets.”

Detective Superintendent Mick McNally, of Wandsworth police, said: “Throughout this investigation Wandsworth borough officers worked closely with other Met teams to locate the persons responsible for these violent crimes.