Three men who tied a woman up and threaten to rape her if she didn’t hand over cash when they forced their way into her home have been jailed for almost 40 years.

The trio, knocked on a door at a house in Liberty Park, Wainscott, and forced their way in and bound and gagged her before dragging he backward up the staircase.

The three, Anthony Antos, 28 from Balham, London, Marvin Mclean, 29, of no fixed address and Jerome Bailey, 28 from Clapham, London, were all found guilty of aggravated burglary and theft of a vehicle on at Canterbury Crown Court, and were sentenced on Friday .

Antos was jailed for 11 years, Bailey for 12 years and Mclean was locked up for 14 years for the offences.

The incident happened on Thursday, June 19, last year when the gang knocked on the door of the woman’s home and she answered the door to Bailey who told her he was there to check the electrical consumer unit.

The woman, 26, who has not been named, questioned what company they were from and began to shut the door but as she did Bailey put the foot between the door and the frame.

The two other men, then ran forward and stood behind her with one of them placing both hands across her mouth and face.

During a struggle she heard one of the men shouting “hit her with the iron, hit her with the iron”. She was then dragged backwards up the staircase with the other man following.

Mclean got some duct tape out of his bag and wrapped it around her mouth and head and also wrapped cable ties around her hand and then tied them to the bannister rails.

The victim also had a T-shirt and coat placed over her head to prevent her seeing what they were doing and all three men were asking questions such as “where’s the money, has your mum got any money? Have you got a safe?”

She then heard one of them shout to her “shall I rape you? Will that make you give me the money.” He turned to the other men and said “Shall I rape her, shall I rape her?”

The torrified woman could then hear the men running in and out of different rooms and into the loft.

She eventually managed to pull her hands free and climb out of a bathroom window and seek refuge in a neighbour’s house where she saw them speed off in her car and where she was able to call police.

Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate began their investigation and the car activated ANPR in the London area and was later found abandoned.

Research also showed a VW Golf found to be in convoy.

An insurance check on the VW Golf found that it was insured to Antos with an address in London.

Investigators using ANPR evidence and mobile phone capture built a case against suspects and Antos and Bailey were arrested in September and later charged.

DNA from Antos was also found on a balaclava. Bailey was positively identified by the victim in an identification procedure.

Mclean was arrested in March this year and also charged with the same offences.

DC Alan Poulton said: “Burglary is an upsetting experience for its victims but to also be confronted in your own home by strangers and being threatened is terrifying.

‘Detectives worked tirelessly to identify the suspects and gather forensic evidence to help secure their conviction.

“Let me assure you that those who choose to commit violent and cowardly acts such as this will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice.”