A 23-YEAR-OLD woman who terrified a middle-aged man with a knife when she and two other intruders burst into his house to steal was jailed for three years, three months on Friday.

At Gloucester Crown Court Kelly Winn, of Oakfield House, Frampton-on-Severn, admitted aggravated burglary of Terence Cox's home in Gloucester on June 29.

Prosecutor Anwen Walker said Mr Cox was having a meal in his kitchen when he heard a bang and went into the hall to find Winn. Behind her were a man and a woman.

Mr Cox, 56, shouted at her to get out and he began to wave a dinner knife he was already holding.

Miss Walker stated: "She approached him and said 'I want money' and she removed from her bag a knife. He described it as an old rusty butcher's knife of eight-to-nine inches.

"She pressed it to his shoulder . . . He was effectively escorted upstairs by all three with the defendant still holding the knife close to his person. He says he was extremely frightened".

Mr Cox first denied having any money but then said there was some in the front room.

The man from the group took that money but said it was not enough. They searched the house, even lifting the mattress.

Mr Cox panicked and, seeing the back door open, ran out and contacted neighbours who called the police.

Miss Walker said Winn was arrested and told police she had been under pressure to pay a £100 debt to the other two people who had entered the house with her.

They had never been apprehended, the court heard.

Winn claimed Mr Cox had a steak knife in his hand so she got out her Swiss Army knife and opened the blade and used it to make him put his knife down.

Defending, Edward Burgess said there had been a "sorry and sordid" past relationship between Winn and the victim. She was in a desperate situation financially and knew Mr Cox would have money.

Mr Burgess said Winn had had an "unutterably awful life" since birth.

Jailing her for three years for the aggravated burglary plus three months for breach of a previous community service order, Judge Jamie Tabor said he sympathised with her past problems.

"You are 23 and you have had, on any reading, a terrible life, he said. "You were born in Holloway Prison and you spent you first 18 months in Holloway. It is difficult for most of us to imagine the dreadful start to life that you have had".

But he said she had to go to prison because she had "put the fear of God" up Mr Cox and rampaged around his house to steal.