A gang of thieves threatened to slash a five-year-old boy's throat and stole thousands of pounds in cash after breaking into a family's home through the roof. The child pleaded with the masked intruders not to harm his parents as they held a knife to his mother's throat and threatened to sever his father's hand.
One of the raiders, former takeaway owner Haneef Chowdhury, had visited the property days earlier posing as a British Gas engineer in what appeared to be a reconnaissance mission. The mother later identified him as one of her attackers. Chowdhury received a lengthy custodial sentence, but his two accomplices were never brought to justice.
Attack on Birkenhead flat
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Chowdhury was one of three men who targeted a flat 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 both parents before threatening to cut their son's throat.
Prosecuting barrister Gerry Baxter outlined how a knife was held to the mother's throat, while the father's hand was pressed against a radiator as the gang threatened to sever it. The young boy "begged and pleaded with them not to hurt his mummy and daddy". The ordeal lasted approximately half an hour, during which the flat was "ransacked" and roughly £6,000 in cash along with jewellery was taken.
Mr Baxter continued: "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."
Impact on victims
A statement read to the court on the father's behalf revealed that he had suffered lasting memory difficulties following the blows he received during the attack, and had been forced to travel to Bangladesh for dental treatment after being unable to meet the costs in the UK. The mother also disclosed that the ordeal had left the family with no choice but to relocate to a new address.
Chowdhury, of no fixed address, had a clean record at the time of the robbery, though he was later handed a 31-month prison sentence last year for possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.
Defence and sentencing
Defence counsel Philip Tully argued that the two remaining offenders had threatened and assaulted the victims while his client stayed in a separate room, stating: "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."
Chowdhury admitted robbery midway through his 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.
During sentencing, Judge Charlotte Crangle stated: "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."
She added: "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."
Judge Crangle continued: "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."
She said: "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."
She concluded: "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."
