A father-of-two stabbed an armed intruder to death after he was beaten with a crowbar in front of his family.

Six masked men burst into his North Yorkshire home, and he was forced to protect his partner and their two children.

Defending himself and his terrified family, he grabbed a man and, in the struggle, fatally stabbed one of the intruders. 

Armed with weapons, they wore dark clothing and balaclavas to barge into a house in Selby in March 2022.

The other five men fled in a getaway car while the man, who has not been named, called 999 and tried to save the sixth intruder’s life.

Police and paramedics raced to the home, but the gang member died at the scene.

The other gang members have now been jailed for almost 70 years in total.

The homeowner was not charged with any offences in connection with the sixth gang member’s death.

Six masked intruders entered a North Yorkshire home, forcing the homeowner to protect his partner and two kids. Shown in the picture is Kallan Hunt, 35, who has no fixed address.

In the heat of defending his terrified family, the homeowner engaged in a struggle, during which he fatally stabbed one of the attackers. Featured in the picture is Max Jackson, 33, from Stockton on the Forest, Yorkshire.

Armed with weapons, they wore dark clothing and balaclavas to barge into a house in Selby in March 2022. Pictured: Daniel Welford, 32, of Pontefract

Authorities launched a significant investigation, initiating a manhunt for the masked offenders. Within 48 hours, they identified and arrested all five individuals involved.

Alan James Hall, 34, from Selby; Daniel Welford, 31, from Pontefract; Max Jackson, 33, from Stockton on the Forest, York; Kallan Hunt, 35, without a fixed address; and Andrew Richardson, 38, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, were later convicted of aggravated burglary.

During interviews, only Welford placed himself at the scene but downplayed his involvement, stating he didn’t know what the others were going to do. 

Richardson denied any involvement in the offence, claiming he went to the scene when he found out his friend had been stabbed to death.

Hall denied committing any offences and then, when presented with the evidence, gave ‘no comment’ answers. 

When presented with the fact that his blood was found at the address, Hall suggested he had a cut on his hand from a dog bite.

Jackson denied any involvement and told interviewers that he didn’t know anything about the burglary, as he wasn’t there. 

In a subsequent interview, he maintained he didn’t go into the address and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions.

All five were charged with aggravated burglary in October 2023. Pictured: Andrew Richardson, 38, of Doncaster

The case against the defendants was strengthened by extensive forensic analysis, including examinations of the crime scene, vehicles, and weapons. Pictured is Alan James Hall, 34, from Selby.

Hunt denied any offences and gave a prepared statement saying he was at another address when he heard something had happened.

When presented with evidence including phone work, CCTV and witness accounts, he provided ‘no comment’ answers.

A police spokesperson mentioned, ‘The detailed investigation employed both traditional and digital forensic methods, such as CCTV footage, telecommunications analysis, and fingerprint and DNA tests, to link all five individuals to the crime scene, confirming their presence before, during, and after the incident.

‘A number of key witnesses were also interviewed during the investigation.’

All five were charged with aggravated burglary in October 2023. 

However, due to the number of defendants involved and the backlog of court cases, the case was sent to Leeds Crown Court but could not be listed for trial until July 2025.

The defendants faced compelling evidence thanks to a thorough forensic examination of the scene, vehicle and weapons that gave further corroboration to those involved in the attack.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, Hall and Richardson pleaded guilty on first day of the trial.

due to the number of defendants involved and the backlog of court cases, the case was sent to Leeds Crown Court but could not be listed for trial until July 2025.

The three other men pleaded not guilty, but the jury unanimously found them guilty of aggravated burglary.

Earlier this month, Jackson and Welford were jailed for 13 years each. Richardson and Hall were jailed for 11 years, 4 months each.

Hunt was deemed by a judge to be a dangerous offender and jailed for 19 years, with a further five years on extended license at the end of that sentence.

Several members of the investigation team were awarded a Judge’s Commendation for their work on securing convictions.

Detective Sergeant Jon Kenworthy of North Yorkshire Police’s Major Investigation Team said: ‘This was a pre-meditated, violent and distressing attack on the victims, who were home with two very young children. 

‘Violent acts of this nature committed on North Yorkshire communities are rare but will not go un-punished and our teams will work relentlessly, however long it takes to bring offenders to justice.

‘Ultimately this has turned into a fatal incident for one of the perpetrators.

‘Any loss of life is a tragedy to the family and the full circumstances of his death have been impartially and diligently investigated.’

He added: ‘Today’s outcome sends a clear reminder to anyone who decides to go masked up, tooled up intending to cause acts of violence to people and property, of the risks and the consequences, of their decision-making.

‘You will find yourself in custody and you will be held to account for your actions – the offenders will now all be spending a considerable amount of time, in their cells reflecting on their poor decision-making that night.

‘I commend the actions of the first attending officers who rushed to the scene to try and save the life of the man who was fatally injured as well as secure and preserve the scene. 

‘A large police investigation used several departments and specialised officers who were proactive and persistent throughout the investigation to ensure all available evidence was secured.’