A WANNABE burglar who terrified three young girls by attempting to break into their house with a hammer has been jailed for 15 months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Baber Iqbal, 22, was a passenger in a stolen Renault Megane using false registration plates which was seen being driven suspiciously in Stafford Street, Nelson, at around 2pm on September 24.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker told the court how the victims’ father had locked the door of the house the three girls - aged 14, 11 and six - were in before briefly leaving the property.

Mr Parker said: “The three sisters were upstairs when they heard knocking and banging on the door. The 14 and 11-year-old looked down from an upstairs window and saw two men.

“A white male was holding a drill and an Asian male - later identified by a VIPER parade to be this defendant - was holding a hammer. They would say the two men were trying to break into their house.

“The two men had cause to look up. They clearly saw the two girls looking at them through the window but they continued to try and break in.”

Fearing for their safety, the two older girls got their younger sister and ran out of the house via the back door.

They went to a nearby relative’s house and told him two men were trying to break in.

Thinking the girls might have been mistaken, the relative went round to the house and saw the stolen Megane near to the property. He spoke to the men in the car and asked if they had been trying to deliver a package at the house, which they denied doing. He then went to the front of the property and saw damage had been done to the door.

Iqbal, of Princeville Road, Bradford, who is serving a 28-month prison sentence for dangerous driving, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary of a dwelling.

Defending, Richard Bennett said: “My client is extremely upset and sorry, having had time to reflect on this matter. It must have been extremely frightening for the children who were in the house at that moment in time.”

Jailing Iqbal for 15 months, Judge Beverley Lunt said: “While this might have been an attempted burglary it was a very determined and violent attempt. There were three young people in the house who were terrified by what they saw was going on.”