A MASKED gunman who pistol whipped a 69-year-old man in his own home has been jailed for eight years.

The victim was alone at home watching television when Carl Robert Teasdale, 27, broke in and threatened to kill him if he didn't hand over £10,000, York Crown Court heard.

A police spokesman said the 69-year-old hit the balaclava-clad raider on the head with a bottle in an attempt to get away from him, but Teasdale felled him to the floor by hitting him with an imitation firearm.

Then the intruder marched the victim around the house emptying jars of money before locking him in his bathroom and making his escape.

York Crown Court heard the 69-year-old had offered Teasdale employment some years ago when the 27-year-old was out of work and that Teasdale had targeted the house in a North Yorkshire village.

In a personal statement read to the court, the victim said his faith in human nature had been destroyed.

The three-hour ordeal had had a devastating effect on him and left his relatives fearing for his well-being.

A police spokesman said Teasdale got away with £10,000 and the victim had to smash his bathroom window to escape from the room and raise the alarm.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said it was the “most serious aggravated burglary he has ever had to deal with.”

Teasdale, of Bridgend Close, Grangetown, Cleveland, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, actual bodily harm and theft of a vehicle, and was jailed for eight years.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Quita Passmore, of North Yorkshire Police’s Hambleton and Richmond CID, said: “This was a violent and cowardly burglary and an extremely terrifying and life changing ordeal for the victim.

"Not only was he threatened with his life in his own home, but he was hit around the head with what he believed to be a real gun and locked in his bathroom.

"Luckily, and bravely, he managed to smash the window and escape to a place of safety where he was able to raise the alarm.

“This court result reflects the hard work put in by the whole investigation team and I’d like to thank all those who played a part in securing this conviction.

“I’m pleased that we’ve secured such a positive result for the victim and hope the sentence handed down today will allow him to move on with his life in the knowledge that Teasdale is behind bars for a very long time.”

Teasdale was first arrested a fortnight after the raid but denied everything and was released.

He had abandoned the victim's car in Eston, Teesside with his balaclava inside it and police found his DNA on the mask.

They also found his fingerprints on a glass in the victim's home in Potto near Stokesley.

Teasdale was rearrested and charged.