THREE young men have been locked up following what police called the "despicable and cowardly " robbery of an 86-year-old Plympton man.

The trio – along with one other who was never captured – conned their way into the man's home, ransacked his bedroom, and threatened to kill him with a screwdriver.

The elderly man suffered broken fingers and bones in his hand after he attempted to wrestle a tin containing just £100 from one of the thugs' grasp.

They then fled in a stolen car along the A38 before being spotted near Exeter and chased onto the M5 by three police cars and the force helicopter. They reached speeds of 150mph, using the hard shoulder at speeds of 130mph before finally crashing into other cars in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.

At Plymouth Crown Court yesterday, Michael Christopher Murphy, aged 19, from a traveller's site at Marroway, near Aylesbury, admitted burglary and aggravated vehicle taking.

His cousin, 17-year-old Michael John Joseph Murphy – who can be named after The Herald asked for reporting restrictions to be lifted – of no fixed abode, admitted burglary, robbery and aggravated vehicle taking.

Felix Ward, aged 20, from Duchy Caravan Park in Lancashire, admitted two counts of robbery , driving whilst disqualified and aggravated vehicle taking.

Prosecutor Iain Leadbetter said the getaway car – a VW Golf R32 – was stolen on January 7 from Bristol and driven more than 3,000 miles during the following week.

The number plates were changed, and on January 12 three men knocked on the door of a 69-year-old woman and her elderly and partially sighted husband at their home in Yorkshire. Ward and Joseph Murphy forced their way in, with Ward going upstairs to confront the couple's son. She later told police she was punched in the face, but Murphy denied he struck her. He went on to take £30 from her purse.

Mr Leadbetter told the court Ward warned the son "stay on the bed or I will break your legs". He demanded the man's wallet, taking £300 before fleeing in the car.

On January 14, having knocked a number of neighbour's doors, they arrived at the 86-year-old's home in Yealmpton Drive, Plympton, gaining entry by using a ruse about a neighbour's fence. While Christopher Murphy remained in the car, Ward, Joseph Murphy and another man went inside.

When the victim – whom The Herald has agreed not to name – finally went upstairs he found two of them ransacking his bedroom. He was grabbed tightly around his wrists and a screwdriver held to his face.

Mr Leadbetter said: "He was told by one of them that they were going to kill him."

When they grabbed the cash box he attempted to wrestle it back. As a prominent member of the Plympton Gardeners' Association, he was looking after the money which was to buy seeds for the association.

Mr Leadbetter said: "The man told police the incident was 'horrific'. It is extraordinary the bravery he showed at his age."

The man suffered two broken bones in his right hand, broken fingers and bruising.

During the police pursuit, Mr Leadbetter said they drove at "insane speeds", and drove the wrong way around roundabouts.

In sentencing Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, said he gave them credit for their guilty pleas, and noted how Ward was prepared to give evidence against his co-defendants. However, because they were "very serious offences" involving "elderly people" he sent all three to a Young Offenders Institution.

Joseph Murphy was locked up for a total of four years, Christopher Murphy for a total of two years and Ward for a total of six-and-a-half years. All three received credit having spent 281 days on remand.

Speaking after the case, Lead Investigator Det Con Al Dixon said: "It's best I don't comment on the sentences. In my 18 years of service to the people of Plymouth these are the most despicable and cowardly crimes against the most vulnerable and elderly people.

"These people are well practiced and well versed in these kinds of crimes. They are a professional gang of thieves, and we strongly believe they have been involved in a number of similar offences nationwide.

"We believe they are part of a national gang who target the elderly and vulnerable, using varying degrees of violence. They were only brought to a stop because they crashed into two cars. It's astonishing nobody was killed or seriously injured by this driving."