A gang of robbers broke into a family's flat through the roof and threatened to cut a five-year-old boy's throat before stealing around £6,000 in cash and jewellery. The youngster begged the masked intruders not to hurt his parents as they pointed a knife at his mum and threatened to chop his dad's hand off.
One of the raiders, former takeaway owner Haneef Chowdhury, 29, of no fixed address, had visited the address days earlier posing as a British Gas worker in an apparent reconnaissance mission. The mother later identified him as one of their assailants. While he was handed a lengthy prison sentence today, his two accomplices were never traced.
Robbery planned for at least a week
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Chowdhury was one of three men who targeted an apartment on Borough Road in Birkenhead, where a couple lived with their then five-year-old son, on January 25 2022. The offenders punched and slapped the mum and dad, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, before threatening to cut their son's throat.
Gerry Baxter, prosecuting, described how a knife was held to the mother's throat, while the father's hand was held over a radiator as the gang threatened to chop it off. The little boy "begged and pleaded with them not to hurt his mummy and daddy". The incident persisted for around half an hour, during which time the flat was "ransacked" and around £6,000 in cash and items of jewellery were stolen.
Mr Baxter added: "The crown's case is that the robbery had been carefully planned and this defendant not only visited the area on a number of occasions, but he was the one who went to the front door of the flat pretending to be an employee of British Gas. [The mum's] evidence was that he seemed to be trying to get into the flat, but she did not allow him in."
Victims' lasting impact
In a statement read to the court on his behalf, the dad detailed how he had been left with memory problems as a result of the punches he sustained and had to travel to Bangladesh to have his teeth fixed, having been unable to afford this dental work in the UK. The mum stated that the family were forced to move to a new home as a result of the incident.
Chowdhury had no previous convictions at the time of the robbery, although he was subsequently jailed for 31 months last year for possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. Philip Tully, defending, told the court that the two other offenders had threatened and attacked the victims while his client remained in another room, adding: "We say that there is a marked difference between the role he played and the other two males who threatened and used violence towards the victims."
"We say the evidence supports his assertion that he was in some way recruited by others. He says he was told by others that the property would be empty. The evidence supports, in my respectful submission, that he was the third person in the address. He accepts that he was the man described as the British Gas man who went to the address a few days earlier."
"Certainly, he played an important role, but not a leading role in relation to the threats and level of violence that took place. There is no evidence that he engaged himself with the victims or caused them to fear any violence or made any threats. He was there searching in a different room when males one and two confronted the victims. He says that he was recruited and promised payment in relation to his involvement."
"There is a completely different side to Mr Chowdhury, a family man, a father-of-three children, a good work record, previously employed as a warrant officer for United Utilities. He opened his own business, an Indian takeaway, in 2020, which ran into financial difficulties, which led to his gambling addiction and a severe financial position at the time he committed this offence and other offences on his record."
"He accepts through me that the incident would have been highly unpleasant and frightening for the victims. I ask your honour to have firmly in mind that he was not involved himself in using or making threats of violence."
"He has indicated that he wishes to put his offending behind him. He intends to serve the sentence then try to move on with his life, to become a good father for his children. He accepts that what he did was wrong and that he deserves to be punished. I ask your honour to take into account all matters advanced on his behalf and keep his sentence to a minimum."
Sentencing and judge's remarks
Chowdhury admitted robbery midway through a trial. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey tracksuit top, he was jailed for 14 years and handed an indefinite restraining order.
Sentencing, Judge Charlotte Crangle said: "Late at night, [the victims] were at home with their five-year-old son. The family were busy packing and preparing for [the dad] to leave for visit to his sick mother. She was in hospital in Bangladesh."
"It was a short notice trip. He was planning to go alone, so he had borrowed significant sums of money from two acquaintances to enable him to pay for medical bills and to fund his trip. He suggested that he had somewhere in the region of £6,000 in cash in the flat. Some of it had been dropped off earlier the same day."
"He and his wife had not told many people that they had this cash. They did not think anybody in the wider community knew about it either. However, it is clear that somebody did know about it and that information had been spread, and this robbery was thereafter planned. It is clear that it was planned for at least a week before it took place."
"Two males forced their way in via a flat roof and through a bathroom window. They then let the third male in through the door. Almost immediately, two of them went into a bedroom, confronting the family and demanding to know where the cash and gold was."
"They inflicted violence on both [the dad] and his wife. They punched and kicked [the dad], slapped [the mum]. It was obvious from the words they were using that they knew about the money."
"I accept that the two males in the bedroom did not match your description. You were the one described as the third male. One of the males in the bedroom went to the kitchen, took a knife and used this to reinforce threats, holding it to [the mum's] throat, holding it over [the dad's] hand while holding his hand onto a radiator."
"All the while, that little boy was begging and pleading them to leave his parents alone. At one stage, one of the males took hold of him and threatened to slit his throat."
"There was screaming and shouting from the victims. [The mum] heard and saw a third male in the hallway. She described him as being in the other bedroom and searching through there."
"She only saw him briefly. She recognised him immediately as a man who had attended six days before, pretending to be a British Gas man, trying get into the property and suggesting he wanted to read the meter, only to flee when she challenged him and suggested she would phone her husband. This was you, as you admit."
"It is said by you that you were recruited, you did not expect to be going in, you were going to be a lookout. But it is clear that you did go in and did take part in that. You went into the other bedroom. You were ransacking and searching through that."
"Once they got the cash, which the little boy handed over, they then demanded gold. [The mum] was forced to hand over all of her wedding jewellery. All three males wore dark clothing and face coverings in an attempt to conceal their identities."
"You continued your denials right up to the middle of the trial, after [the victims] had been forced to relive their terrifying ordeal. It was clear, the level of sheer terror that they still have about the incident. What you subjected them to has had a long lasting impact. Their son still gets upset."
"You suggested that this offending was committed in the context of you having business problems and large gambling debts. That is no doubt of little comfort or reassurance to your victims."
