A woman was terrified she would die when a gun was held to her forehead during what was described as a gratuitous and degrading raid at her home, a court heard.

In a victim impact statement, the traumatised victim spoke of how shock turned to fear at being forced inside the house in Elm Road, Dartford, after returning from a dogwalk with her boyfriend.

As well as having the handgun pointed at her, the woman was grabbed by her hair and thrown onto a sofa. The two raiders also repeatedly threatened to shoot her.

Maidstone Crown Court heard she has since been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and suffers from stress, anxiety and constant flashbacks.

In her statement to the court, she wrote: "I was in shock, shock grew to fear and when the gun was placed to my forehead, I don't say this lightly, I feared for my life."

The woman added that the ordeal had also put a strain on her relationship with her boyfriend, who was also subjected to violence during the raid.

He was struck a number of times with the gun, punched to his head and had fingers forced so hard into his mouth that the underside of his tongue was ripped.

"I was in shock, shock grew to fear and when the gun was placed to my forehead, I don't say this lightly, I feared for my life" - Victim

The couple's landlord, who also lived at the property, had the gun pointed at his kneecap as all three were made to hand over expensive Rolex watches, jewellery, cash, mobile phones and an iPad.

By the time they were forced face down on the floor, the woman was hyperventilating.

But, despite her terror, the court heard the woman suspected the gun was in fact a replica and was brave enough to not only alert her housemates but also grab a kitchen knife and give it to her boyfriend who then chased the raiders as they fled to a waiting van.

One of the men, 31-year-old Dean Reid, from south east London, has been jailed for 12 years as part of an extended sentence.

This means he will have to serve at least two-thirds of the prison term and then once released, the remainder of the sentence plus a further four years on licence.

Judge Heather Baucher said such a sentence was necessary as she considered Reid to be dangerous and that the public needed to be protected from a high risk of harm in the future.

The court heard none of the victims, whom Kent Online has decided not to name, now live at the house. All three however had to endure giving evidence at Reid's trial as he denied aggravated burglary.

Jailing the father-of-two, the judge spoke of not only the physical effects upon them but also the psychological impact.

The female victim's boyfriend had become anxious and paranoid and had to be prescribed sleeping tablets, while their landlord suffered panic attacks and said in his victim impact statement that he felt he was being "forced out" of his home as it was a constant reminder of what happened.

"Each of the witnesses were in tears before me," said Judge Baucher. "You have not shown one flicker of remorse in that regard. These people's lives have been wrecked by what you and your associate did on that day."

Judge Baucher also poured scorn on Reid's claim that any violence used was to simply restrain the victims.

"You have not shown one flicker of remorse in that regard. These people's lives have been wrecked by what you and your associate did on that day" - Judge Heather Baucher

"This was the use of gratuitous violence," said Judge Baucher. "This wasn't restraint, as you tried to pat it off in the probation report."

Reid has 14 previous convictions for 26 offences including robbery and possessing drugs, and at the time of the armed raid was on licence from a two-year jail term imposed in October 2014 for inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Judge Baucher remarked that she expected Reid, of Dartmouth Road, Sydenham, to be "properly supervised" upon his release this time.

The jury at his trial heard the raiders had been wearing gloves and DNA matching Reid was later found on a piece of latex retrieved by police at the house.

The couple were confronted by one of the men outside their front door at 8.25pm on July 11 last year.

He was said to be scowling and pointing the gun straight at them. As the boyfriend turned to see the weapon, he was warned: "Don't ******* move or I'll shoot your girl."

A second raider appeared and they forced their way into the house, shouting at the couple and repeating their threat to shoot the woman.

When the landlord returned home mid-raid, he was also warned she would be shot if he shouted out.

Stephen Akinsanya, defending, said there was little to say on Reid's behalf but that he was "keen to express" he recognised the ordeal the trio endured that night.

The court also heard that Reid had been using cannabis since the age of 12 or 13, and also took class A drugs.

Welcoming an extended sentence as a chance for Reid to "engage" with the probation service upon his release, Mr Akinsanya added: "He is articulate and bright and it's a real tragedy to find a man, only 31, facing a significant time in custody."