A MAN who was part of a gang that terrified a Redditch family when they burst into their home late at night to steal cannabis plants has been jailed for seven years.

35-year-old Marcus Tomlinson, of Winslow Close in Winyates, was found guilty by a jury at Worcester Crown Court of two charges of robbery by majority verdict but cleared unanimously of having a firearm or imitation firearm.

The jury was told Tomlinson had not gone into the house because he would have been recognised.

But he was the driver and he took the others back to Birmingham after they had stormed into the house wearing hoodies.

Peter Arnold, prosecuting, said the men went “mob-handed" into the home of Alan Wilkes, Paula Gibson and her two children, Chloe, now aged 18 and her 10-year-old sister, in Lygon Close between 11 and 11.30pm on May 14, 2013.

Tomlinson had been involved with growing cannabis with Mr Wilkes but they had disagreed and he had returned with the three men to break in and steal two large and profitable plants.

Mr Wilkes was kicked and punched and the men also attacked Paula Gibson, striking her twice with force and giving her a nasty gash to the top of her head, Mr Arnold said.

The 18-year-old was trying to phone for help when the man with the gun caught her and took her mobile.

In a statement read to the jury, Chloe said she was in bed when she heard the men and the words: “Where’s the money?”

She picked up her phone and dialed 999 but it did not connect.

The statement added that two seconds later a man was in her room pointing a gun at her.

“I was petrified and thought he was going to kill me,” she said.

The men grabbed the cannabis and ran off to the car parked in nearby Dolphin Road, Mr Arnold said.

“It was a terrifying incident,” he told the jury.

Adam Western, defending, said Tomlinson, who denied all the charges, had no relevant previous convictions and had been the driver. He had not been the ringleader or the organiser of the raid.

Judge Michael Cullum said it was not clear if Tomlinson had gone back to take control of the plants he had been involved in growing or just to teach Mr Wilkes a lesson.

He said Mr Wilkes might have considered it to be an "occupational hazard" for a cannabis grower but the three men would have caused extreme fear and used violence if necessary.

Tomlinson, he said, had not gone into the house because he would have been known but he played at least an equal part.

A firearm, or imitation firearm had been used but the jury decided he did not have it.

The jury found Tomlinson guilty of the two robbery charges both by a majority of 10-2.

He was given seven years on each of the charges to run concurrently.