A robber who fractured a man’s skull by hitting him with a candlestick has been jailed for a decade.

Richard Mackie carried out the attack at a property in Church Road, Swanley, on April 3 last year.

The 29-year-old also threatened the victim’s partner, while the woman’s grandchildren aged two and 11 were sleeping nearby.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how Mackie set off an alarm by breaking into his victims’ shed, causing them to leave their home to confront him.

Mackie knocked the woman to the floor and threatened her while demanding money. He then picked up a discarded candelabrum and hit the man on the head with it, fracturing his skull.

Mackie then tied the man up with cable ties before forcing his way into the couple’s home, which he ransacked before leaving empty-handed.

Mackie, from Clapham, was arrested after police linked him to DNA left at the scene, and he was later found guilty of two counts of attempted robbery and one count of causing GBH.

He was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Monday (Jan 26).

Sergeant Richard Pringle, of Kent Police, said: “This was a dreadful attack on an innocent couple who have been left traumatised by what happened to them.

“Richard Mackie is clearly a danger to the public and belongs behind bars where he can cause no further harm.

“This was a painstaking investigation that involved many months of hard work, and I hope this result will come as some comfort to Mackie’s victims for the terrible ordeal he put them through.”