Man who stole grieving father's laptop at funeral of his six-year-old son sentenced to four and a half years

The boy's parents say the laptop contained some of the only pictures they have of their son

Franklyn Mathurin was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for burglary (PA)

A thief who stole a grieving father’s laptop from the funeral of his six-year-old has been jailed for four years.

The computer had been used in the service to show nearly every picture they had of TJ Martin - who died after battling a rare illness.

Mourners left the service at the Pentecostal City Church in Harlesden, north-west London to attend the burial in a nearby cemetery on 2 November.

When they returned they discovered the laptop was gone.

Franklyn Mathurin, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed at Harlow Crown Court on Tuesday.

The laptop was never recovered and TJ’s parents put out an emotional plea for its return.

His father, Norris Martin, said: "The photos on the laptop are six years of family photos, even from his birth.

"All the memories that we have of him are on that laptop. We have a few on my phone, but that's only the last year and a half."

His mother Pat Martin said it was "as an important as life itself that we get the laptop back".

TJ was born with Candle syndrome, a rare disorder which causes inflammation and fever.

He spent much of his life in hospital before he succumbed to the disease.

Additional reporting by PA