A thug who dragged an elderly man from his bed and beat him with a baton before attacking his son during a violent burglary has been jailed for 17 years.

Amos Wilsher, 27, of New Scott Street, Langwith, Mansfield, will serve a minimum of 12 years along with five years on licence following a hearing at Basildon Crown Court yesterday.

At around 11.50pm on 12 May 2018, Wilsher along with two others broke into a property wearing balaclavas and were armed with weapons.

A 75-year-old was assaulted, dragged out of his bed and along the floor and then hit in the head with what we believe to be a police style baton.

The man’s son was indoors and they were both told to go into one of the rooms before being sprayed with cleaning fluid.

They were threatened with being set on fire if they did not comply.

Following the incident, we discovered CCTV showing how Wilsher had knocked at a neighbouring property at around 11.30am that day.

Here he is pictured using his elbow to ring the doorbell.

Other footage showed Wilsher running away from the scene of the crime and we also found his DNA on a bottle in the victim’s home.

There was a manhunt for Wilsher and he was put out as a wanted person before he was arrested in Leicestershire.

In his summary, the judge deemed Wilsher dangerous and gave him three months, to run concurrent, for failing to surrender to police.

Following his release, he will have to wear an electronic tag for 203 days.

Investigating officer Police Sergeant Frankie Cole said: “Wilsher is a dangerous individual who targeted an elderly man while he sat in his bed watching TV.

“Doorbell footage caught him looking for homes to target – with Wilsher later claiming to have distributed leaflets in the area.

“He was unable to explain why he used his elbow to ring a door bell or why his DNA was found inside the crime scene.

“Wilsher subjected a man and his son to a horrific attack before leaving with passports and just £20.

“The elderly victim suffered injuries to his head, which had to be glued together and the ordeal has had an severe impact of both victims.

“There are two other suspects who are outstanding. I know some time has passed but we would urge people with information to call Brentwood CID on 101.”