Robbers told to repay £1 after taking heirlooms in ‘terrifying’ raid

MASKED attackers who tied up a 72-year-old woman and stole a Cartier heirloom and Military Cross in a £215,000 raid have been ordered to repay just £1 each.

Eriks Valants, 23, and Jed Martin, 27, broke into the £1 million home of Susan Hunt in Stockbridge, Hampshire, on March 23 last year. They frogmarched her out of bed at 2.30am and tied her to the bannister before ransacking the sixbedroom property.

The robbers stole family heirlooms including a Cartier ring, Omega watch, three-string pearl necklace, and David Morris pearl and diamond necklace with matching earrings. They also took a Military Cross medal from the Second World War, along with a letter signed by King George, belonging to Mrs Hunt’s father-in-law. None of the items were ever recovered.

Valants and Martin, of Cotswold Road and Evenlode Road in Southampton, were each jailed for 10 years at Winchester Crown Court in April after admitting a single charge of robbery.

Following the sentencing hearing, action was taken under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover funds from the pair. However, at a hearing last week the judge permitted them to only pay a nominal £1 charge each as there was no money left of the £462,292 they have made from all their crimes to date.

The £1 each must be paid within 28 days or they will each have seven days added onto their prison sentences.

On the night of the break-in, Valants and Martin had made four attempts to get into the detached house and had cut out a pane of glass from the swimming pool area.

They barged into Mrs Hunt’s bedroom and shone a torch in her face, demanding she give them the code to her safe. She was then tied to the bannister with black tape around her hands, and a pillowcase was put over her head.

After rifling through her possessions for what Mrs Hunt said “felt like hours”, in an act of bizarre charity under the circumstances, they left her some water, fruit and a yoghurt at the bannister – believing she would remain tied up for many hours.

Andrew Houston, prosecuting, said the robbers had shown a “slight piece of compassion”.

“They asked how long it would be until anyone came, telling her you can live on water for three days,” he said.

However, Mrs Hunt was able to bite through the tape around her hands and get to the phone to call the police.

“Using her teeth this elderly lady showed commendable courage and was able to free her hands and call 999,” said Mr Houston. “Unsurprisingly, she described herself as terribly frightened that people were going to come back.”

Officers found a knife outside the property when they arrived.

Mrs Hunt was left feeling “traumatised, disoriented and frightened to live in her home”, the court heard.

Peter Asteris, defending Valants, said in mitigation that he feels “significant remorse” for the robbery.

He added he was unemployed at the time he carried out the raid, and was “horrified with what he allowed himself to become involved with on that night”.

Tessa Shroff, defending Martin, said that he carried out the robbery “under pressure to repay a debt”.

She told the court that he wishes to “express remorse and express sympathy” for the impact on Mrs Hunt.