A PAIR of thugs threatened a family with a fake gun ... only to be met by a fearless former copper who chased them off.

The retired police officer bravely eyed up the weapon and charged towards the two men after recognising the gun was not real, and not a threat.

Jamie Broad and Leonard Sherwood donned masks, hoodies and armed themselves with a fake pistol and baton on April 20 - in the height of lockdown.

The crooks went to a home in Tennyson Drive, in Pitsea, at roughly 6.30pm.

At no point during the criminal proceedings has it become clear why Broad, 51, and Sherwood, 53, targeted this home.

But they went prepared for violence - brandishing weapons and hurling abuse at the former officer and his son who were in the property at the time.

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But no violence followed as their clued-up victim spotted the weapons were only imitations and chased them away from the scene.

The thugs fled and ran to a parked car in Popes Crescent opposite Tennyson Drive, but continued to shout abuse and make threats as they drove away.

In police interviews and meetings with their barristers, neither man revealed why they carried out the attack.

Prosecution suggested throughout proceedings it was “a botched revenge attack” and they mistook the victim for someone else, as he insisted he did not know either of them.

Judge Ian Graham said: “How you both got involved in this matter is not clear.

“Neither of you has sought in police interviews to give any explanation to what this was all about, so we are all still left in the dark.

“One of the people had been a police officer and he had worked out it was an imitation.

“But you were abusive and threatening towards the occupants.

“It was sheer good luck he was able to work out it was not a real gun.”

On the day of the incident, police were called but only arrived after the pair had fled the scene.

Officers were given a description of the vehicle, which was then stopped on the A130 near the junction with Rettendon.

The imitation weapons were recovered inside the vehicle when it was stopped by police.

Broad, of Deere Road, Rainham, and Sherwood, of Abberton Walk, Rainham, both admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and were jailed for 18 months at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.