Jail for men who tied up and burgled Newcastle woman in distressing targeted crime

Three men who admitted their part in a burglary which saw a woman tied up and high value jewellery stolen have been jailed.

Abdulatif Nsubuga, Mohammed Raja and Ravi Handa concocted the plot to target the victim at her Newcastle home.

After agreeing on a plan, Nsubuga and Raja travelled up from London to carry out the burglary. Nsubuga posed as a workman enquiring about repair works in the area when he knocked on the victim’s door, as Raja waited in a car outside.

He then pulled out an imitation firearm and threatened to hurt her family unless she handed over money and jewellery. Nsubuga tied the victim to a wardrobe and then, after searching the house, got away with jewellery.

After intercepting communications, officers from Northumbria Police were able to apprehend Nsubuga and Raja on their return journey to London and arrested them. The jewellery was then recovered.

An investigation found that Nsubuga and Raja had staked out the victim’s address in the days prior to the burglary, buying a high-vis jacket so that Nsubuga could pose as a workman and burner phones to communicate with each other.

Nsubuga admitted one count of aggravated burglary while in possession of an imitation firearm. Raja and Handa both admitted to burglary. On Friday, December 2, all three men were sentenced to prison at Newcastle Crown Court.

Nsubuga, 32, of Summerwood Road, Isleworth, London, was given a sentence of 10-and-a-half years for the aggravated burglary offence and nine years for possession of a firearm to run concurrently.

Raja, 31, of Standard Road, Hounslow, also London, was given a 44-month prison sentence while, Handa, 38, of Abbots Way, North Shields, was jailed for three years and one month. Handa was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order against the victim and her family.

Detective Inspector Tam Fowler, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a particularly shocking and complex case in which the three defendants have targeted their victim. Nsubuga has then visited her home and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal before stealing her property.

“She has shown great bravery in cooperating with us throughout this process. Thanks to quick work by our officers we managed to apprehend two of the suspects as they drove home from carrying out the burglary. Extensive investigation work has then uncovered their scheme and got them before the courts.

“We take every burglary incident extremely seriously as we know the serious emotional impact it can have on victims. Our hope is that this outcome provides the victim and her family with a degree of closure.