"You're terrorising the wrong people."

That's the message from Kent Police to crooks who have subjected a Tonbridge couple to two-year campaign of terror in an effort to extort money.

Since December 2008 Kenneth Crow, 59, and his wife Valerie, 55, have been tied up, attacked with cattle prods and been sent threatening letters by criminals who think cash is buried on their land at Golden Green near Tonbridge.

Now police have taken the unusual step of identifying the victims in the hope those responsible for the attacks will stop their terrifying crusade.

While the crooks seem convinced the couple are in possession of buried cash, detectives say an investigation "and various searches we’ve done on their farmland" have failed to uncover anything.

According to some reports the harassment is in connection with unrecovered money from the £53m Securitas robbery in 2006, but police would not confirm this.

The couple's ordeal began on Friday December 5 2008 at around 9.30pm, when two masked men cut the telephone wires to the property, broke into the bungalow and threatened Mr and Mrs Crow.

They were then tied up and intruders used an electric cattle prod against Mr Crow as they demanded he tell them where the money was buried.

Neither Mr or Mrs Crow had any idea what the men – who called each other Gary and John Boy – were talking about.

When the couple eventually persuaded their interrogators that they knew nothing, the men left, taking Kenneth Crow’s mobile phone.

Mr Crow then managed to get to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm, and was subsequently treated at hospital for his injuries

Police say despite extensive inquiries no suspects or motive for this aggravated burglary could be identified.

A year later Mr and Mrs Crow were at home on February 24 2009, when a car pulled onto their driveway and letter was posted through their letterbox.

Claiming to be from people connected with the previous burglary, it went on to accuse the couple of hiding money and that if they didn’t hand it over, the police would be told about it.

They were told to go to a telephone kiosk the following day when further instructions would be given. Mr Crow did so, accompanied by a police officer, and received a call from another public phone in Icklesham, East Sussex.

The caller told him to return to the kiosk at 6pm, but the second call ended abruptly when Mr Crow said he was with police officers.

Inquiries in connection with these phone calls did not identify any suspects.

Nothing further happened until the evening of Monday January 18 this year when Mrs Crow discovered a stake with a note attached to it, driven into the ground at the rear of his bungalow.

The threatening note made reference to the previous incidents, and is being treated as blackmail by officers. It was addressed to ‘Paul’, but the Crows have no knowledge of who this might be.

Det Ins Bert Short said: “We have already carried out extensive inquiries into these incidents and will continue to do so, however, with Kenneth and Valerie’s permission we are making the case public to tell those responsible ‘you are targeting the wrong people’. We know from the investigation we’ve carried out and various searches we’ve done on their farmland that there is no money buried there.

“This series of events is taking its toll on the couple and if it continues it will be to the detriment of their health and wellbeing.”

If anyone has any information they can contact police on 01732 379217 or Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Callers to Crimestoppers do not have to leave their name. Information can also be emailed to appeals.westkent@kent.pnn.police.uk