A 46-YEAR-old drunk burglar with a lengthy criminal record is back behind bars after sneaky into a city property and stealing from sleeping victims.
Tomasz Grzegorczyk's burglary was the fourth he had committed since arriving in the UK in 2014, Worcester Crown Court heard.
Colin Phillips, prosecuting, told the court at 4.30am on June 4 the victims returned home from a night to the student accommodation they were living at in Court Mews, Farrier Street.
The prosecutor explained the pair that night slept on sofas in the communal living room at the property.
At 5am Grzegorczyk, who was drunk, tried the door at the rear of the property and, after getting in, he crept into the living room area of the downstairs flats where the pair was sleeping.
One of the victims, a woman, had her mobile phone and bag near her and the defendant stole her mobile phone, a Santander bank card, driving licence, university identification card and rail card.
Grzegorczyk also stole a second mobile from another victim, the court heard.
"In the morning, when they both woke up, they realised both phones were missing," the prosecutor said.
When the woman called Santander they confirmed the card had been used that morning at two newsagents in the city, with more than £35 worth of items bought.
After activating the find my phone feature of her iPhone the woman's phone was shown to be in Nash's Passage, Worcester, police using that information and CCTV to arrest Grzegorczyk three days later.
The prosecutor said since 2014 Grzegorczyk had accumulated 10 convictions for 14 offences including handling stolen goods, theft, possession of a knife and the burglaries for which he had already served jail time.
Mr Phillips added Grzegorczyk had been on licence at the time of committing the offence.
Grzegorczyk, who appeared on videolink to the court on Wednesday, (October 25), had admitted burglary dwelling and theft at an earlier hearing.
Michael Aspinall, defending, said the victims weren't disturbed by Grzegorczyk's intrusion and there was no suggestion he had entered any bedrooms during the "opportunistic" offence.
The barrister said Grzegorczyk moved to Worcester in 2012 with a former partner but ended up homeless and descended into drug use after splitting with her in 2014.
He said that had caused his lengthy record but highlighted it was Grzegorczyk's first burglary at a home.
"He is now totally absent from drugs and alcohol," Mr Aspinall said.
"He realises it is the last bite of the cherry - he has to turn his life around."
Mr Aspinall added the bank card had been passed to a third party who used it to buy items.
MOST READ: Cases recently heard at Worcester Magistrates Court
MOST READ: Large cannabis grow on residential road had 'most dangerous' electrical setup
Sentencing him, Judge Martin Jackson said it would have been obvious there were victims asleep in the room when he entered due to daylight.
The judge said the loss of mobile phones had a significant impact on victims calling his crime a "serious matter".
He jailed Grzegorczyk for 20 months.
In June, following Grzegorczyk's arrest, Detective Sergeant Grant Fraser said: “This investigation resulted in a swift resolution due to the work conducted by both Worcester Patrol officers and officers from Proactive CID."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel