Burglar Jailed for Cooking and Cleaning in Victim’s Home

A man who broke into a woman’s home, cooked a meal, hung out her laundry, and rearranged her belongings has been sentenced to 22 months in prison.

Damian Wojnilowicz, 36, carried out the unusual burglary in Monmouthshire on July 16. Cardiff Crown Court heard that the woman returned from work to find her garden altered and her home meticulously tidied.

A note left by Wojnilowicz read: “Don’t worry, be happy, eat up and scratch.”

During the break-in, Wojnilowicz cooked a meal using items from the woman’s cupboards, replaced toothbrush heads, and unpacked new kitchen utensils from her shopping.

He even rearranged her fridge and left out a bottle of wine with a glass and bottle opener. The woman also noticed that bird feeders had been refilled and plant pots moved.

Startled by the intrusion, she fled to stay with a friend and later told the court she had lived in constant fear until Wojnilowicz was caught two weeks later.

A second burglary took place on July 29 at another home, where Wojnilowicz used a summerhouse shower, ate food, and drank wine.

He was caught on the homeowner’s CCTV, which showed him wandering around the property. The homeowner, feeling “sick and horrified,” alerted his son-in-law, who found Wojnilowicz holding a glass of wine. The burglar left but was later arrested.

Wojnilowicz, who was homeless at the time, apologized through his defense for the emotional distress caused to both victims.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, with the court also hearing he had prior convictions for assault and public order offenses.

Sentencing Wojnilowicz, Recorder Christian Jowett called the break-ins a “significant intrusion” into the victims’ lives.