THE parents of a boy with cancer were branded despicable by a judge as they were jailed over theft of laptops from the hospital where he was being treated.

Matthew Ingham was jailed for two years for stealing three laptops and electrical equipment from Ward 31 in Leeds General Infirmary to fund his drug addiction and pay debts.

His former partner, Kim Ager, who helped sell the laptops on her Facebook page, was jailed for nine months. She admitted handling stolen laptops donated to the ward by Candlelighters Charity.

Leeds Crown Court heard that after Ingham and Ager were arrested, both at stages tried to lay the blame on their ill son.

Sentencing the pair yesterday, Judge Sally Cahill QC told them it was “difficult to find a word that describes just how despicable this offending was”.

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Heather Gilmore, prosecuting, said two laptops were valued at £539.99, the third cost £200 and they were fixed by security cords to beds. The other electrical items, for playing media, valued at £874.25 were elsewhere.

All had been donated to the ward “for child patients to entertain themselves and no doubt take their minds of what they were going through,” she said.The laptops were also used for youngsters to Skype family.

On July 15 the director of Candlelighters was informed they had been taken. Police later traced Ingham after the sales were spotted on Facebook.

Miss Gilmore said on July 2 a man had seen the laptops advertised on Ager’s Facebook page and arranged to buy one for £50. He went to the house at Hardwick Street, Keighley, where she lived with Ingham and recognised Ager. She said it was from former office supplies.

When he got the laptop home and switched it on the screen immediately said Ward 31 and it needed a password to unlock it. He later contacted the police.

Another person had purchased a laptop for £90 on July 6 having spoken to Ingham; while the third was bought by a man on July 8. He also found Ward 31 on the screen, returned the laptop and got his money back.

Another man arranged to buy that laptop for £60 but could not find the address. By then a woman had bought the laptop for £50. She was told by Ager she could get as many as she liked. She too realised something was wrong and it was also seized by police. Ingham and Ager were arrested. and tried to blame their son at various stages.

Ingham told a probation officer that under the stress of his young son’s illness and other problems he had started taking drugs last year after meeting a man outside the hospital. He became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine spending £40 a day on drugs, running up debts.

He had now sought help through Airedale Fresh Start and was on a methadone programme. The 17-year relationship with Ager had ended.

Glenn Parsons, for Ingham, said: “He appears before this court a totally broken man. He has lost everything." Ingham spent 12 hours a day at his son’s bedside and resorted to drugs. “He was trying to clear his debts and placate his dealers. All he can say is how sorry he is."

for the inconvenience he caused to hospital staff, the people who donated money to buy this equipment.”

Julian White, for Ager, said Ingham's drug taking caused enormous strain, and with her son’s illness “put her thought processes way off kilter”.

She was now with another partner.Ingham, 37, of Hardwick Street, Keighley, was found guilty of four charges of theft. Ager, 35, now of Tennyson House, Blackthorne Road, Ilkley, admitted receiving stolen goods. Judge Cahill told Ingham people had put in a lot of work to raise the money for the items donated to the ward “to make these seriously ill children’s lives somewhat better”.

“They were secured and could not be easily removed despite that you managed to do so.”

The laptops had then been sold and even when one was brought back it was sold again.

the fact he could steal from a children’s cancer ward and then sell them “shows just how despicable you are”.

After the case, Sergeant Pat Kenning, of the City Neighbourhood Policing Team, “The circumstances of these thefts understandably provoked a strong reaction from people and a high level of interest.

“As a result of a comprehensive and sensitively handled investigation by officers from the City Neighbourhood Policing Team those responsible were brought to justice and nearly all the stolen items were recovered.

“We also liaised with one of our key partner agencies, Business Against Crime in Leeds (BACIL), who were able to donate six tablet computers to the two children’s cancer wards to support the very valuable work that they and the Candlelighters charity do.”