A violent burglar who was arrested in Chesham after a showdown with police that caused long delays in the town on one of the hottest days of the year has been jailed.

Shane Cosgrove, 24, was arrested by officers from the Met Police and Thames Valley Police in Ashley Green Road, Chesham, on June 26 in connection with an aggravated burglary that happened in London.

Drivers were forced to sit in miles of queues in the sweltering heat while police tried to capture Cosgrove, who injured himself while resisting arrest and was taken to hospital.

Cosgrove was jailed for 10 and a half years at Croydon Crown Court on October 11 after admitting to one count of burglary and one count of aggravated burglary at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how on Sunday, June 17, at around 10.30pm, two men – one of whom was Cosgrove – broke into a home in Durham Hill in Bromley by smashing a rear window.

A 52-year-old woman who was inside the house was threatened by one of the men, who held a knife to her throat and told her not to shout.

The second man pointed a handgun at the woman’s teenage son and the terrified pair were forced upstairs.

The robbers then went into the victim’s daughter’s room, while the teenager boy was led in at gunpoint.

They asked the victims where their gold was kept before stealing the daughter’s laptop and mobile phone and attempted to pull her necklace off.

While the son told the robbers they had no gold, the pair then slapped the mother and the daughter around the face in an attempt to get them to give up the goods.

The second suspect then pointed the handgun at the son and asked for money. The victim replied they did not have any and the suspects then left the property through the front door and made-off on a moped.

They stole two mobile phones, two laptops and a watch during the course of the harrowing burglary.

When police arrived at the scene, they found blood inside and a DNA match was made to Cosgrove.

After his arrest, he was interviewed by officers but answered ‘no comment’ to all questions. He was charged on July 17 and after appearing at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on July 20, he was bailed.

Days later on July 28, another burglary, at a different address in Bromley, took place and £100,000-worth of property – including jewellery, electronics, shoes, a handbag and sleeping tablets – were stolen.

Blood at the scene again matched to Cosgrove, but police believe that three men were involved.

He was arrested again and charged with another burglary on August 30.

DC Simon Pleavin, the investigating officer from Op Venice, the Moped Crime Taskforce, said: "I am pleased that Cosgrove has been jailed and taken off the streets of London so he cannot cause any more families misery.

"The aggravated burglary was a terrifying ordeal for the family and they are still extremely distressed from it.

"Both incidents have made the victims feel unsafe in their own homes. This sentence sends a clear message that those engaged in this type of crime will be brought to justice. I hope this sentence gives the victims a measure of comfort and closure."