Burglars target Birmingham house as son conducted his mum's funeral service

Bishop Desmond Jaddoo was conducting his mother's funeral service when burglars broke into his Kingstanding home

A community leader has told how his house was targeted by heartless burglars as he conducted his mother's funeral. Bishop Desmond Jaddoo was mid-service at the First Born Church in Lozells when he was alerted to a break-in at his home in Kingstanding.

He continued with the ceremony for his mother Zoe Jaddoo, who died on August 16 of age-related illness aged 88. When he arrived back home after the burial at Witton Cemetery on Friday (Sep 27) he found the thieves had taken trainers and bags.

He said: "I want to say to the people who did this - really? Is this how low would you stoop?

Read More: Windrush heroine Zoe Jaddoo who battled to save sixth form centre to be laid to rest

"Everyone, including the people who did this, have a mother. How would they like it? My children were shocked that anyone would have the audacity to burgle their home while they were burying their grandmother."

Bishop Jaddoo said one of his children received a call from their neighbour when they were in church informing him of the break-in. He said: "We were still mid-flow when my sons told me about it, we were in final prayers.

"I just felt cold because I couldn't understand the lack of sensitivity." He said he has learned there has recently been a spate of burglaries in the Kingstanding area.

Ring doorbell footage shows two men dressed in dark clothing and wearing balaclavas fleeing the scene around 11.30am. Great-grandmother Zoe Jaddoo spent a lifetime of service in local politics, the church and education.

During the 1980s, the widowed mother-of-five, took on Birmingham City Council’s education department over its plans to close the sixth form at Broadway School in Aston. As chairman of the school’s parent teacher association she battled hard and eventually ensured the survival of sixth form education at the inner-city comprehensive.

For her efforts, she was awarded an “Oscar” at the same school. She played a major part in the election of Birmingham's first non-white elected Councillor the Late Alderman Bert Carless in 1979.

West Midlands Police said: "We’re investigating after a burglary at an address on Warren Road in Birmingham at around 11.20am on 27 September. Two masked men forced their way into the property before leaving with jewellery and other valuables.

"We’re following up a number of lines of enquiry and anyone with information has been asked to get in touch, quoting log 20/879163/24."