A PROFESSIONAL burglar who took his son with him when he targeted an elderly woman’s house for a night-time raid has been jailed.

Son Michael Daniel Warwick, 24, who had run up a £12,000 bill in three weeks on a stolen credit card by living the high-life, was also jailed.

Matthew Collins, prosecuting, said a neighbour alerted police when he heard the noise made by Warwick and his father Michael Andrew Hester, 45, as they tried to break into the woman’s Dringhouses home on December 6.

Officers cordoned off the area and caught the pair. They hadn’t managed to get into the house and the victim didn’t realise what was going on until police woke her at 5am.

Hester has several previous convictions for domestic burglaries and has served several prison sentences, including one of four-and-a-half years for house raids.

The Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC, called Hester a “professional burglar” and said: “When a father takes a son on a burglary expedition, as this was, the heavier responsibility and criminal turpitude lies obviously with the father rather than the son.”

He jailed Hester for three years and Warwick for two.

Hester, of Thanet Road, Dringhouses, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary, as did Warwick, of no fixed address.

Warwick also admitted credit card fraud and fraud by selling a stolen bicycle.

Mr Collins said between October 6 and October 22, Warwick bought jewellery and other high value items in York shops and used the stolen card to pay for restaurant meals.

For Warwick, Felicity Hemlin said he accepted he had been “stupid” to go on the house raid. He wanted to spend his prison sentence reforming himself so he could be a good father to the baby his pregnant girlfriend is expecting.

For Hester, Neal Kutte said he wanted to “make a better fist of things” when he is released.

Mr Collins said the card was stolen in a separate burglary and the true owner didn’t realise it had been stolen.