TWO masked teenagers who beat an Asian pensioner round the head and robbed his wife have been jailed in a case highlighted by the Met.

The 63-year-old man was struck in the head sending him crashing to the ground in the middle of the road, in High Street, Wealdstone, in broad daylight at 12.30pm, in December 2009.

His 59-year-old wife was wrestled to the floor, where her gold chain was snatched, but she managed to cling on to her gold rings during the onslaught, by Dario Critchlow, 19, a 17-year-old and a third, unidentified man.

Her arm was so badly bruised she needed a cast. The couple were traumatised by the attack and were left struggling to sleep and afraid to leave their home.

The couple are both Asian and their case has been used by police to highlight the risk from thieves, particularly to Asian people who officers say make up 30 per cent of street crime victims, more than any other group.

During certain Hindu festivals it is customary to wear valuable jewellery.

Critchlow was handed a five-year sentence, while the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given three years by Harrow Crown Court on Thursday.

PC Ali Khan, the investigating officer from Harrow Police Crime Squad said: "This was a planned and violent attack on a couple who were targeted for the gold jewellery worn by the woman.

"The couple were out shopping when the robbers attacked, knocking a 63-year-old man to ground and then stealing his wife's jewellery as she too was lying helpless on the ground.

“The robbery left the couple traumatised with both victims suffering physical injuries, while afterwards finding it difficult to sleep and being afraid to go out.

“This also had a severe affect on their family.”

The trio, who wore hoods and wrapped scarves round their faces, fled down Spencer Road, in Wealdstone, before ordering a cab to Harlesden, where both Critchlow and the 17-year-old lived.

The couple were taken to Northwick Park Hospital, where doctors treated the wife for bruising to her arm, and the husband for head injuries and back pain.

He passed away from unrelated causes early this year.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has released safety advice following the sentencing.

Commander Simon Pountain said: "The MPS takes street robbery very seriously. Being robbed is a traumatic experience.

“However, the public can minimise the chance of it happening by taking some basic measures. When you are out, where possible try to keep any valuables hidden.

“If you are wearing jewellery we would urge you to cover it, perhaps with a scarf. Robbers simply see your gold jewellery and other precious items such as MP3 players as hard cash.

“We're not asking the public not to wear jewellery, or to use their phones or media players in public – we're just advising them to be vigilant about where and when they use them.

"We are here for London and to help make sure people can go about their daily lives as safely as possible.

“We are determined to do what we can to stop it happening, as well as to catch those responsible and bring them to justice.”