Burglars who used a sledgehammer to attack their victims have lost an appeal against their 15 year prison sentences.

John McCarthy, 37, and Richard Leslie, 39, are each serving 15 year jail terms for their part in an aggravated burglary that saw a Madingley Road couple tied up and tortured with a sledgehammer in their own home in November 2014. They were convicted by an Old Bailey jury in 2016.

The pair this week took their case to the Court of Appeal in a bid to have their convictions overturned. However, judges on Tuesday (October 9) ruled that the convictions were safe and refused the appeal.

Det Insp Alan Page, who led the original investigation into the burglary, said: “Dressed in boiler suits, McCarthy and Leslie broke into a home, used a sledgehammer to break a woman’s toes and stuck pins into her partner in an attempt to extort even more of their valuables.

“This burglary was every homeowner’s nightmare and one of the most despicable assaults I have investigated in all my years as a police officer.

“McCarthy and Leslie showed no mercy when they attacked an innocent couple in November 2014.

“I am pleased the courts have in turn shown them no mercy almost two years later and have seen fit to refuse their appeal. The men are back where they belong: in prison.”

McCarthy and Leslie are each serving 15 years for aggravated burglary. They will serve a further five on extended licence.