Three robbers who planned a sophisticated jewellery heist ended up getting away with only some Tupperware and sandwiches.

A court heard today how the hapless trio, including brothers Qasim and Naheem Hussain from Bradford, targeted the proprietors of a jewellery shop after they left their business premises for the night in October, 2015.

All three robbers were wearing balaclavas and they had already stolen a Mitsubishi Pajero Shogun car from Halifax two days earlier to use in the raid. They had also carried out a reconnaissance on the married couple as they left their business in Leeds the night before.

Sentencing the trio yesterday, Judge Tom Bayliss QC said he was satisfied they believed the jewellers would be carrying high value items. One of the trio punched the man in the face, cutting his lip, before they fled with some carrier bags - but a jury heard they were to be disappointed with what they found inside.

“The inference I draw is that you thought you were targeting very high value, easily saleable items of jewellery. That, gentlemen, may have been what you expected. In the event you came away with virtually nothing, some Tupperware and items of food,” said the judge at Leeds Crown Court.

After the robbery, the raiders set fire to the car near Roundhay Park to destroy any forensic evidence, but residents alerted the fire brigade who arrived in time to prevent that.

Inside, police found the balaclavas which provided the DNA evidence which brought the trio to justice.

Qasim Hussain, 28 of Oakroyd Terrace, North Avenue, Manningham, Bradford and Hassan Mahmood, 26 of Bentcliffe Avenue, Moortown, Leeds were both jailed for nine years. Naheem Hussain, 27, also of Oakroyd Terrace, who the court heard is nearly blind, was jailed for three years.

Each were convicted by a jury of theft of the car, robbery, and assault with intent to rob on October 27, 2015.

Judge Bayliss said “Only a custodial sentence can be justified. The impact of this highly sophisticated robbery on the victims has been deep and long lasting, you came away with nothing but Tupperware and sandwiches but were targeting very high value goods indeed.”

He said he believed Mahmood, a bio medical science student, who was the son of a lecturer at Leeds University, was the defendant aware of the risks of leaving DNA.

He told Naheem Hussain his disability had not prevented him playing a role in the robbery but it clearly had not been as involved as the other two and he had reduced the sentence for that reason.

The court heard that Naheem is nearly blind in his left eye and has poor vision in the right.

Detective inspector Neil Thompson said after the case: “This was a carefully planned and orchestrated robbery which saw the victims put through a terrifying ordeal when they were attacked by these men as they left their business.”

“They went to great lengths to avoid being caught but a comprehensive investigation by specialist officers from Leeds District Crime Team uncovered clear evidence linking them to the crime. The weight of that evidence, which included painstaking checks on CCTV, detailed forensic Work and phone analysis, saw the men found guilty at trial.”

“We hope the significant prison sentences they have received will provide suitable reassurance to the victims and to the wider community, and also serve as a warning to others who choose to involve themselves in violent organised crime such as this.”