Dad kills armed intruder in his own home after gang bursts in with crowbar

A dad-of-two stabbed an armed intruder to death during a burglarythat saw him beaten with a crowbar in front of his family,

The unnamed father was beaten in view of his partner and children when a gang of six masked men burst into his home inSelby, North Yorkshire. Forced to defend himself, he grabbed a man and in the struggle stabbed one of the intruders.

When five unhurt men fled in a getaway car, the burgled man tried to save the life of the sixth intruder and called 999. North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics raced to the scene, but the gang member died at the scene.

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A force spokesperson said: "Armed with weapons, they wore dark clothing and balaclavas to barge into a house in Selby. A couple were inside with their two young children when the men entered the home, in March 2022.

"They beat the man with a crowbar and punched him repeatedly. But the man fought back to defend himself, taking a knife during the struggle and stabbing one of the intruders – a sixth man from the gang."

The incident triggered a manhunt to track down the five men. Detectives along with officers from Selby’s local policing team and specialist departments used information and intelligence to find them all within 48 hours.

The homeowner did not face any criminal charges in connection to the man's death as he was defending himself and his family, YorkshireLive reported.

They have now been jailed for a total of 70 years in prison for aggravated burglary. The men jailed are:

• Alan James Hall, 34, of Selby

• Daniel Welford, 32, of Pontefract

• Max Jackson, 33, of Stockton on the Forest, York

• Kallan Hunt, 35, of no fixed address

• Andrew Richardson, 38, of Doncaster

During interviews, only Welford placed himself at the scene but downplayed his involvement stating he didn’t know what the others were going to do. Richardson denied any involvement in the offence, claiming he went to the scene when he found out his friend had been stabbed to death.

Hall denied committing any offences and then when presented with the evidence, gave ‘no comment’ answers. When presented with the fact his blood was found in the address, Hall suggested the cut that he had to his hand was because of a dog bite.

Jackson denied any involvement and told interviewers that he didn’t know anything about the burglary as he wasn’t there. In a subsequent interview he maintained he didn’t go into the address and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions.

Hunt denied any offences and gave a prepared statement saying he was at another address when he heard something had happened. When presented with mountain of the evidence including phone work, CCTV and witness accounts, he provided ‘no comment’ answers.

The force spokesperson continued: "The intricate investigation used traditional and digital forensic opportunities including CCTV, telecommunications analysis, fingerprint and DNA examinations to identify all five individuals, placing them together before, during and post-offence. A number of key witnesses were also interviewed during the investigation."

All five were charged with aggravated burglary in October 2023. However, due to the number of defendants involved and the backlog of court cases, the case was sent to Leeds Crown Court but could not be listed for trial until July 2025.

The defendants faced compelling evidence thanks to a thorough forensic examination of the scene, vehicle and weapons that gave further corroboration to those involved in the attack, including Hall. He couldn’t continue with the lies and in the face of overwhelming evidence he and Richardson pleaded guilty on first day of the trial.

The three other men pleaded not guilty, but the jury unanimously found them guilty of aggravated burglary.

Earlier this month, Jackson and Welford were jailed for 13 years each. Richardson and Hall were jailed for 11 years, 4 months each.

Hunt was deemed by a judge to be a dangerous offender and jailed for 19 years today, with a further five years on extended license at the end of that sentence.

Several members of the investigation team were awarded a Judge’s Commendation today for their work on securing convictions.

Detective Sergeant Jon Kenworthy of North Yorkshire Police’s Major Investigation Team said: “This was a pre-meditated, violent and distressing attack on the victims, who were home with two very young children. Violent acts of this nature committed on North Yorkshire communities are rare but will not go un-punished and our teams will work relentlessly, however long it takes to bring offenders to justice.

“Ultimately this has turned into a fatal incident for one of the perpetrators. Any loss of life is a tragedy to the family and the full circumstances of his death have been impartially and diligently investigated.”

Det Sgt Kenworthy added: “Today’s outcome sends a clear reminder to anyone who decides to go masked up, tooled up intending to cause acts of violence to people and property, of the risks and the consequences, of their decision-making.

“You will find yourself in custody and you will be held to account for your actions – the offenders will now all be spending a considerable amount of time in their cells reflecting on their poor decision-making that night.

“I commend the actions of the first attending officers who rushed to the scene to try and save the life of the man who was fatally injured as well as secure and preserve the scene. A large police investigation used several departments and specialised officers who were proactive and persistent throughout the investigation to ensure all available evidence was secured.”