A burglar with 70 previous convictions has walked free on a suspended sentence after targeting the same south Essex victims twice.
Robert Brindley, of Gambleside in Basildon, tried to break into two properties in Steeple Heights, Benfleet, in August 2024 - then returned and tried again in March 2026.
The four attempted burglaries - all caught in CCTV - were among seven charges he appeared for sentence over at Southend Crown Court on Tuesday (July 28).
The other three were a non-dwelling burglary in Ivy Road, Benfleet, and two attempted non-dwelling burglaries in the same road.
They were again caught on CCTV. Brindley was linked to all seven offences by police officers recognising him in CCTV footage.
The only goods stolen or attempted to be stolen in the incidents were food.
Prosecutor Daniel Setter said the 50-year-old former railway engineer had convictions for 70 previous offences.
“Sixty of those are theft and related offences and 39 of those, by my count, are various permutations of burglary,” he said.
In a victim impact statement, one of the women whose homes Brindley targeted twice said that in the days after, “she found herself sitting up rather than going to sleep, waiting to see if he would return”.
In the longer term, she felt “on edge”, “unsafe” and “kept thinking somebody was in the garden”.
Whenever she comes home she has to check nobody has broken in the court was told, and she often wakes in the night and cannot get back to sleep until she has checked the whole house for intruders.
One of the Ivy Road victims, from whom Brindley stole food in a successful burglary, said in a statement that she now woke up several times every night and went downstairs to check everything was okay.
Defence barrister Chris Martin urged the court to impose a suspended sentence with a mental health treatment requirement.
“From an early age, the defendant experienced really what is described as a poor upbringing,” the lawyer said.
“He witnessed regular violence perpetrated by his father towards the family, direct violence towards himself on occasions when he attempted to protect his mother.”
He left work with no qualifications and had struggled with drug addiction, although he was now clean.
In the lead up to the seven offences, Mr Martin said, Brindley was diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer and experienced a worsening of his mental health when his father’s death revived memories of his childhood abuse.
He had been struggling and the burglaries had all been in the pursuit of food, the lawyer said.
He now had a stable relationship, stable accommodation and hoped to seek help with his mental health and return to work on the railway.
Recorder Peter Clark sentenced Brindley sentenced Brindley to 16 months for the first two attempted Steeple Heights break-ins.
But as he then targeted the same victims again, the judge sentenced him to 27 months in prison concurrent for the repeat offences.
He added three months consecutive for the Ivy Road offences.
But he suspended the sentence for 30 months, ordering Brindley to complete a mental health treatment programme, 40 additional rehabilitation activity days, and have his whereabouts monitored by tag for six months.
“I think both you and the interests of society are better served by me suspending that sentence,” he said.
“I’m not sure every judge would have acceded to Mr Martin but he persuaded me. Do, please, your utmost to make the most of the chance that has been afforded to you. In the nicest way, we don’t want to see you again.”
“No,” Brindley replied. “I guarantee it.”
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