A burglar who broke into a woman’s home, hung her washing, rearranged her belongings, and even cooked himself a meal has been sentenced to 22 months in prison. Damian Wojnilowicz, a 36-year-old, carried out the unusual burglary on 16 July in Monmouthshire, Wales, which left the victim traumatised and too scared to remain in her home, reported BBC.
The court heard how Wojnilowicz had entered the property while the woman was at work.Upon returning home, she found her house in an unusual state: items in the garden had been moved, the recycling bin emptied, and her washing hung on the line. Inside, the cupboards had been rearranged, food was missing, and the kitchen had been tidied, with utensils replaced.
A meal had been prepared using ingredients from the victim’s kitchen, and an empty bottle of wine was found neatly placed in the wine rack. Strangely, a note was left behind, saying: “Don’t worry, be happy, eat up and scratch.”
The intruder’s actions extended beyond simple theft. He even replaced the heads of the victim’s toothbrushes and refilled her bird feeders. The woman, in her victim impact statement, explained that the experience had left her feeling “too scared to stay in her own home” and she had moved in with a friend temporarily.
She also shared her fears that she wondered if the burglar was someone she knew or worse, that it could develop into a stalking incident. For two weeks after the burglary, she experienced heightened anxiety and felt unsafe in her own home.
“I wondered if it was somebody who knew me, if it was going to turn into a stalking incident, if he knew I lived alone and if I had been targeted,” she added.
Wojnilowicz struck again just two weeks later, on 29 July, at another property in Newport. In this case, the male homeowner received a CCTV alert on his phone, showing Wojnilowicz entering his driveway.
The burglar took a shower in the summerhouse, washed and dried his clothes, and consumed food and drink. The victim, watching the burglary unfold through security cameras, alerted his son-in-law, who confronted Wojnilowicz. Although he appeared intoxicated, holding a glass of wine, he left the property when asked, but was later arrested. His DNA linked him to both break-ins.
In court, Wojnilowicz, who was homeless at the time, expressed remorse for his actions. His defence lawyer, Tabitha Walker, explained that he was undergoing a difficult period in his life.
However, the judge, Recorder Christian Jowett, emphasised the serious impact his actions had on the victims, describing the incidents as a “significant intrusion into their homes” and sentencing him to 22 months in prison.