SCHOOLBOY and his family were threatened at knifepoint by masked burglars during a terrifying raid at their home.

The 13-year-old was playing computer games in his upstairs bedroom when two men burst into the terraced house in Southampton.

One of the men held the boy and his dad at knifepoint as his horrified stepmother looked on before the pair plundered a safe containing their life savings.

Yesterday the dad branded them “scum” and pleaded for people who have information about who might be responsible to do the right thing and help police catch them.

The 46-year-old told the Daily Echo “They’ve destroyed my family.

“I feel utterly violated and felt so terrified and useless that I couldn’t protect my son. How could they do this to a 13-year-old boy?”

Two hooded men forced their way into the property in Windermere Avenue, Millbrook at 10pm on Tuesday after the dad answered a knock on the door.

One man pulled the phone lines out and demanded money while the other headed upstairs and attempted to get into a bedroom.

When they discovered it was locked they hauled the teen downstairs while his accomplice grabbed a steak-knife from the boy’s stepmother who was eating her dinner.

The boy’s dad said: “They were shouting “you know what we have come for”.

“They grabbed my son around the neck shouting and the knife was getting closer to him.”

They eventually released the boy before punching his dad in the face and advancing with the weapon.

The man shielded himself by holding his hand up and added: “My son was so brave, he was cuddling me on the floor saying “give them what they want”.”

The men forced their way into the room a n d grabbed a s a f e containing a large amount of money and jewellery including an engagement ring, three rings and watches, and two laptops.

The dad said: “We don’t have a penny to our name. We’ve got nothing now and we are going to have to sell property just to pay the bills.”

Police say the men responsible are white, between 18 to 20 years of age and wore scarves across their faces.

One wore a grey hooded top and the other a blue one, while one was 6ft and the other shorter and stocky.

n Police arrested a 16-year-old on suspicion of aggravated burglary and a 17-year-old on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle.

Both have been bailed pending further inquiries until March 7.

Witnesses should contact DC Gillingham at Shirley CID on 101.