Four burglars who burst into a brothel before two of them raped prostitutes at knifepoint have been jailed.

Nico Rattigan-Kelly, 20, Shawn Jenkins, 23, Scott Sibley, 22, and Michael Edu, 18, smashed the front door of the house in Cranford before ordering the two girls to hand over their cash and phones.

Rattigan-Kelly held a blade to the throat of his terrified victim as he raped her, while Jenkins forced himself on to the other woman.

Rattigan-Kelly, from Northolt, Jenkins, from Yeading, Sibley, from Hayes, and Edu, also from Hayes, were jailed for a total of more than 20 years at Isleworth Crown Court last Friday.

Judge Andrew Johnson said: “I heard evidence from one of the young working women, who described the production of the knife and the demands for money. She was shaking with fear, that was before you Rattigan-Kelly went on to rape her.”

He said the victim could not take her eyes off the blade as Rattigan-Kelly carried out his attack.

He added: “It was an appalling incident, an appalling episode for those two women to experience.”

The gang drove to the brothel on June 27 last year, but the girls refused to let them in when they pretended to be paying punters.

The burglars tried to break in through a back window but it was locked. One of them then stayed to guard the escape while the other three returned to the front door and smashed it to pieces.

The court heard they targeted the brothel because they thought prostitutes were less likely to report a break-in to police. The thugs escaped with about £110.

They denied the offences but were convicted following a trial.

Rattigan-Kelly pleaded guilty to a separate attempted burglary in Hobart Drive, Hayes, which he carried out while on the run.

And Jenkins was also involved in a terrifying raid on a home in Leamington Crescent, Harrow, one month earlier, the court heard.

Judge Johnson sentenced Rattigan-Kelly to 10 years behind bars for rape, robbery and attempted burglary.

He gave Jenkins an indeterminate sentence for two counts of rape and robbery, ordering him to serve a minimum seven years and 34 days before he is eligible for parole.

He jailed Sibley for four years after he was convicted of two counts of robbery, and sent Edu to a young offender institution for 18 months after he was convicted of burglary.

Detective Constable Gavin Bolt, of Hounslow Police, said: "I believe the severity of the sentences reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed by these offenders."