Wellingborough dad feared for his life as masked gang threatens family with knives

A Wellingborough chef has spoken of the moment a gang of masked men burst into his bedroom at 2am to demand money from him, threatening him with his own kitchen knives.

Dad-of-two Henrik Bengtsson was asleep in his Queensway home when he says he woken up by men kicking down his bedroom door and switching on the lights on Monday, March 7.

Mr Bengtsson, owner of Swedish Kitchen, says the six men in balaclavas even looked under his new-born baby's crib to find money that they thought was hidden underneath.

He said: "They jumped on the bed. I thought it was a dream but it was real. They were shouting 'where's the cash, where's the ******* cash?'

"There were six all holding knives taken from my knife block, six of them putting a knife to my neck.

"I needed them to get out of there. My wife picked up the baby who's only six-weeks-old and ran to my other daughter's bedroom. These low-lives followed my wife into our daughter's bedroom. Two of the men followed her. They threatened my four-year-old.

"They dragged me downstairs. They told my wife, 'we're going to kill your ******* husband if you don't tell us where the money is. They put a knife in her face with our six-week old baby in her arms whilst she was trying to console our hysterical four-year-old daughter.

"I was obviously targeted. I own the Swedish Kitchen and they thought I had cash but I bank it every day. People think we have lots of money but it's mostly done on cards."

After Mr Bengtsson gave them £300, the men took the couple's mobile phones and their family car - a Volvo.

He said: "I cannot even begin to tell you how this has impacted us as a family, and I'm wondering how me, my wife and my children will ever recover from this.

"It's going to take time. Our four-year-old is the worst. She's not herself.

"I'm grateful that my family wasn't hurt. I thought they were definitely going to stab me. I had one moment when I thought I was going to die. They punched me and came at me from behind and choked me. All of that for £300."

Mr Bengtsson has handed over all his CCTV footage and has thanked his neighbours for helping.

He said: "People have been amazing. The neighbours have found crowbars.

"I please urge anyone who has any information, or knows anything, no matter how big or small, to get in touch with either myself or the police."

A spokesman for Northants Police said: "This incident happened in Queensway at about 2am when multiple offender/s in balaclavas entered the address by forcing the ground window and once inside, at knifepoint they stole money and mobile phones.

"Anyone with any information or anyone who might have doorbell, dashcam or CCTV footage of anything suspicious in the area at the time, should call us quoting incident number 22000131654."