I’m Surprised It Took 20 Minutes…

The attack happened at 10.45pm on September 6.

The mum had put her 20-month-old son in his play pen and noticed the curtains twitching.

When she went to check them, she found Brinkley climbing through the window. She shouted at him and Brinkley ran off.

Not so tough when alone, as you might expect. But these animals hunt in packs…

The mum called her partner and told him a man with a tattoo on his neck had tried to break in.

Her partner spotted Brinkley as he made his way home and challenged him.

The 22-year-old dad was then assaulted and lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, Brinkley and two other men, who have not been caught, marched him back to the house and barged inside.

And just why haven’t they been caught? They must have damned good descriptions, given what then followed:

The mum said: "Brinkley came into the living room with a big hunting knife. I went to grab my phone and he put the knife to my throat and told me to give it to him.

"He saw me look towards my child. I went to go and pick him up but he got there first. He grabbed him and threw him across the play pen.

"They were all running in and out of the rooms, ransacking the house.

"They were just going mad, hitting my partner with the hammer. When they went in the bedroom I grabbed my child and made for the door but Brinkley stopped me, slamming it shut.

"He held the knife to me and then gestured as if he was going to stab my child in the throat. He then threatened him with the hammer over his head and told us not to call the police.

"It lasted 15 minutes but it felt like a lifetime."

And it attracted a pretty hefty sentence, which might tell you something about the (unmentioned in this article) criminal history of the defendant.

As, indeed, might his reaction to the news:

Brinkley, of Bransholme, was convicted of aggravated burglary by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court after just 20 minutes.

As Recorder Julian Goose QC sentenced him to 12 years, Brinkley jumped over the dock and tried to escape, injuring a prison officer.

It took four officers to restrain him.

A typical Hull denizen, then?

Detective Inspector Darren Webb said: "Brinkley was initially arrested based on a distinctive neck tattoo.

"This type of offence is rare but victims should feel reassured that the police will always take positive action and support victims through the process.

"It is also reassuring to know that this dangerous individual has been given such a substantial sentence that reflects this incident and his offending history."

Ah, yes. A ‘rare’ occurrence. Really, DI Webb?

Just who do you think you are fooling?