'These two are hopeless': Bungling brothers recognised by staff as they carried out 'revenge' burglary at Leeds synagogue bakery after row over wages

Damian Midgeley recruited his step brother Peter Cambridge to help him carry out the raid at the premises where he was a member of staff.

The burglary was carried out at Street Lane Bakery, Moortown, after Midgeley had a row his boss over the amount of sick pay he had been paid.

The pair wore balaclavas and carried cans of beer during the incident but Midgeley was immediately recognised by a security guard from the way he walked.

A barrister representing the men at Leeds Crown Court described the pair as "hopeless".

Ken Green, prosecuting, said the bakery premises is within a synagogue off Street Lane and is covered by CCTV cameras which are monitored by a security guard and a caretaker.

Midgeley used his security fob to get through gates and enter the premises on September 25 this year.

The caretaker contacted police after he saw suspicious activity on the security footage.

Cambridge was in the driving seat and Midgeley was in the passenger seat when the vehicle was stopped.

The vehicle contained two lap tops, a safe containing £200 and a charity box which all belonged to the bakery.

Mr Green said Midgeley was wearing a lanyard around his neck which contained his security fob for the bakery.

The court heard he had been a full-time employee at the bakery for four years but had off sick for several months.

Earlier in the day he had spoken to his boss to complain about the amount of money he was being paid while off work.

The prosecutor said the offence was aggravated because there was an "element of revenge" about the burglary.

He said the bakery was a small business whose main customers were people who attended the synagogue

Mr Green said: "It's a small bakery. It isn't Warburtons or anything like that."

Charles Blatchford, mitigating for both defendants, told Judge Tom Bayliss QC: "It was possibly one of the worst planned and dumbest escapades Your Honour may have heard of.

"Mr Midgeley was identified by the security guard simply by the way he walked.

"It was a pathetic and ill-planned attempt.

"This was almost a comedic burglary. These two are hopeless.

"It was an incredibly stupid, ill-thought out idea."

The barrister said the pair intended to '"cause a nuisance" to the bakery after the dispute over Midgeley's wages.

Mr Blatchford said both men grew up in care and were subjected to abuse.

He added that both defendants had drug and alcohol problems and suffered from ill-health.

He said: "They are both essentially broken by a system that has badly let them down."

Both men were jailed for two years.

Judge Bayliss said: "You both realise that I can't deal with this by way of anything other than a significant sentence to mark the gravity of it."