Child couldn’t hear family wish him happy birthday after burglar stole his hearing aid

Philip Brindley, 39, was jailed for a total of six years after he targeted homes in a spate of offences earlier this year.

The burglar, who has more than 100 offences on his criminal record, was called “insensitive, thoughtless and wicked” by Judge Jonathan Rose.

Brindley, of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, raided a family home in Rochdale twice within a few weeks and during one of the raids he stole various property including the young boy’s hearing aid.

Bradford Crown Court heard the device was later recovered, but it was damaged beyond repair and the boy was unable to hear at all for three weeks.

Prosecutor Rebecca Young said the boy was unable to hear his family wishing him happy birthday and his mother believed that the loss of his hearing aid had put his progress back months.

Brindley pleaded guilty to a series of house burglaries.

During some of the break-ins he also used stolen car keys to drive away vehicles that were later found burnt out.

He crashed another stolen car after he carried on driving even when police officers deployed a “stinger device” to deflate the tyres of the vehicle.

Among his other victims were a foster carer who lost months of course work he had completed and a music enthusiast whose 10-year collection, worth thousands of pounds, was kept on a computer hard drive stolen by Brindley.

The court heard Brindley had committed his first house burglaries in 1992.

Judge Rose told Brindley he had violated homes and hurt people who did not deserve to be hurt.

In addition to his six-year jail term Brindley was also banned from driving for two years.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Gary Stephenson, of Calderdale CID, said: “Philip Brindley is a prolific, professional burglar who targets occupied dwellings at night, across the Calderdale and Greater Manchester boarders.

“A potentially dangerous offender has been removed from society and I know this has provided some comfort and reassurance to his victims.”