A burglar who stole a laptop with irreplaceable photographs on it has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Leeds Crown Court heard Adeel Abbas got into the house in Shillbank Lane, Mirfield on the evening of February 6 by breaking a kitchen window while the occupants were out.

Duncan Ritchie prosecuting said Abbas then helped himself to the laptop in the living room as well as searching two bedrooms.

When the family returned and found they had been burgled they were particularly upset by the loss of laptop because on it were photographs of their daughter as a baby which could not be replaced, he said.

A few weeks earlier on an evening in January he had tried to break into another property in the same street but had left after being disturbed by a neighbour.

Mr Ritchie told the court the same night at another property in a different road but the same area a 94-year-old woman living alone was woken by her doorbell ringing.

She rang the police on her mobile phone and when she went to investigate discovered a window in the kitchen was broken and open and there was a stone on the window sill. The crime had left her feeling scared and vulnerable.

Abbas said the first two attempted burglaries were committed with another man and each had acted as the lookout for the other when he tried to get into one house and the other man tried to get into the pensioner’s home.

Charles Blatchford for Abbas said he voluntarily went to the police station having had an “epiphany moment” with the birth of his first child due he wanted to break from those who had led him astray and become a good role model for his child.

He said Abbas was intelligent and had victim empathy. “He is full of remorse and regret.”

Abbas, 20 of Field Lane, Dewsbury admitted the burglary and two attempted burglaries and asked for four other offences of dishonesty to be taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison suspended for two years with a community order, 200 hours unpaid work and a 30 day medium activity order.

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