A REPEAT offender broke into his estranged father’s home in the middle of the night before stealing a set of keys and taking his car.

Despite having little or no contact with his dad since he was nine, Qader Ali, 25, paid an unexpected visit to his Burnley home during the early hours of the morning on October 14.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Ali, who was caught four days later driving around in the vehicle, was disqualified from driving and refused to give a drug test when asked to do so.

Judge Sara Dodd described Ali’s long history of offending, which has seen him convicted on 26 occasions – 13 of those for offences of dishonesty.

Ali, of Grenville Street, Burnley, had also been recently been released from prison on a drug related matter and was on licence from that sentence at the time he committed the theft.

Judge Dodd said: “In the early hours of the 14th of October you broke into your father’s home.

“It appears you had been estranged from your dad since 2004 – but you kicked the door in.

“You were with another man. You took the keys to your dad’s car and you drove it off and you didn’t keep it for a short period of time. You were driving that car on the 18th when officers saw you.

“They considered you were under the influence of cannabis and indeed you had taken cannabis. You refused to provide a sample of blood. You were disqualified from driving at the time and as a result had no insurance.”

Defending, Ellen Shaw argued that Ali had learned his lesson and was willing to work with the authorities in a bid to secure his release from HMP Hewell, where he has been awaiting his sentencing.

Ms Shaw said: “I ask you to consider that this defendant could be made subject to a suspended sentence order – an onerous one, but ultimately he is someone who could benefit from the intervention of prevention.

“Having been remanded for a couple of months he has learnt his lesson. He tells me he is willing to do anything that the court orders to be able to return to his family who he feels he has let down.

“I understand that he is very close to his mum and he helps to support her financially as well as around the house.

“He has previously worked at Boohoo in the factory and having spoken to his employer, they have said he would be willing to have him back to work, so there is an offer of employment.”

Deeming the offences too serious for a suspended sentence, Judge Dodd jailed Ali for two years and two months. He has also been disqualified from driving for three years.