A GRANDFATHER accused of being a member of a gang which staged a string of terrifying burglaries where pensioners were tied up, had been previously jailed for another violent raid , a court heard.

Christopher Doughty choked back tears as he told jurors he had “turned his life around” since he was jailed for his previous crime – insisting he played no part in raids in Southampton and Hambledon where masked men stole £300,000 in valuables.

Doughty, 54, of Holly Gardens, denies two counts of aggravated burglaries at properties in Dumbleton Close, Southampton and East Street, Hambledon, and one of possessing a loaded firearm in a public place.

In the dock Doughty said those involved must have been “absolute scum and animals”.

But Southampton Crown Court heard how he was previously jailed under joint enterprise for robbery in February 2009 when an elderly couple were tied up in their home and a gang of men stole £380,000 worth of items in June, 2006.

But Doughty told the court that in that case he handled stolen goods rather than entering the house. He said: “I’m a loving considerate person and not an animal who would go into a 90-yearold lady’s home.”

The court heard how Doughty was arrested in a car park off the A27 Mansbridge Road after police found a rifle identical to one stolen from Dumbleton Close in the boot of a Silver Vauxhall Astra he was driving.

But Doughty claimed he borrowed the vehicle from a friend Kev Green and had never previously opened the boot, the court heard.

He said he had gone to the car park after having an argument with his ex wife. Doughty told the court he suspected his DNA had been found on a door handle in the East Street house because someone was wearing gloves belonging to him.

And he insisted a black balaclava containing his DNA found in a Ford Transit van at his house was for use under a motorcycle crash helmet. Doughty denies all charges. The trial continues.