A 10-year-old girl fled in terror after a "drunken gunman" and two accomplices burst into a house, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The girl ran upstairs in fear after Christopher Costello, Ian Jackson and Ashley Cullen, all 18 and from Colne, turned up looking for a man they claimed had carried out an alleged indecent assault.

Rachel Woods, prosecuting, told the court the defendants turned up at the house in Belgrave Road, Colne, on April 12 this year where the occupier, friends and the 10-year-old were listening to music.

The man was not there at the time, but they thought he was, the court heard.

Miss Woods said they kicked the door and burst into the house.

Costello, apparently carrying an air rifle, shouted and demanded to know where the man was.

Cullen seemed to be carrying a case for the gun.

Costello, who was drunk, pointed it randomly at people in the room and seemed to find the whole incident funny, the court heard.

The occupants were scared and the girl, who thought the gun was being pointed at her, ran upstairs to hide.

Jackson and Cullen went upstairs to check the loft to make sure the man wasn't hiding.

At some point Jackson left to go to a nearby off-licence and returned with cans of lager, which the defendants then drank, the court heard.

Miss Woods said: "They just took over the house."

Costello's girlfriend arrived and tried to persuade him and his friends to stop and leave. They eventually did leave and the incident was reported to the police.

All three admitted a charge of affray.

Costello, of William Street, who has a five-year criminal record and has been to jail, was given a 12-month community order with three-month curfew, between 10pm and 7am.

Jackson, of Dickson Street, who also has a record and had previously been convicted of a wounding charge with Costello, got 40 weeks in prison, suspended for 52 weeks, with supervision and 100 hours unpaid work.

Cullen, of Skipton Road, who had no previous convictions, also received a similar suspended sentence.