A plucky pensioner sprang into action when he returned home in his car and discovered his house was being burgled, a court heard.

On seeing the getaway car on his driveway, 80-year-old William Meadows blocked them in with his Jaguar to foil their escape.

But one of them - Junior Lungo - emerged from the car brandishing a sledgehammer and repeatedly struck the terrified victim’s windscreen.

His gardener arrived on the scene at Green Leas, Pilgrims Way, Wrotham.

But that did not stop Lungo from picking up a laptop computer stolen from the house and hurling it at Mr Meadows.

Lungo, 24, and cohorts Billy Hudson, 27, and Sanchez Williams, 26, returned to their stolen Audi car with false number plates and attempted to drive around the Jag.

As they did so they struck the gardener’s car and then became wedged in a hedge.

Prosecutor Andrew Forsyth said the three men jumped into Mr Meadows’ car and drove off.

In it was his iPhone with a tracking device which he was able to access from his iPad. The stolen property remained in the abandoned Audi.

Police arrived and tracked the Jaguar to Bexley, where it was found abandoned.

A police dog followed the burglars’ scent to a bus stop. They were arrested on a bus, Mr Forsyth told Maidstone Crown Court.

Lungo, of East Dulwich, south east London, Hudson, of Eltham, south east London, and Williams, of Pike Close, Bromley, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and burgling Mr Meadows’ home and a house in The Street, Sevenoaks, all on October 10 last year.

Lungo also admitted assaulting Mr Meadows causing actual bodily harm, damaging his car and a further charge of aggravated vehicle taking.

"Rather than reversing in terror, as anyone would have done, he stood his ground" - Judge Jeremy Carey

Hudson, a roofer who played for Charlton FC under 15s, asked for 11 other burglaries to be considered, Williams nine burglaries and Lungo eight burglaries.

Hudson and Williams were each jailed for five years eight months. Sentence was adjourned on Lungo to assess his mental state.

Judge Jeremy Carey said of Mr Meadows, who suffered £10,000 of damage: "Rather than reversing in terror, as anyone would have done, he stood his ground.

"He must have been truly terrified when Junior Lungo went towards his vehicle with a sledgehammer and started smashing it, and then threw a laptop at his head."

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