Burglar breaks into woman’s home, hangs up her washing, puts away her shopping and empties bin – before leaving note to ‘be happy’

A burglar broke into a woman’s home and hung her washing outside, put away her groceries and emptied the bin – before leaving a creepy note.

Damian Wojnilowicz, 36, has been jailed for 22 months for committing the unusual burglary in Monmouthshire, Wales, on July 16.

The victim said she was too scared to stay in her own home after coming home from work to find an intruder had moved her belongings.

Wojnilowicz also left a note that read: “Don’t worry, be happy, eat up and scratch.”

A hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard bird feeders in the garden had also been refilled and plant pots moved.

Inside the house, a pair of shoes had been taken out of their packaging and then thrown in the trash.

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Prosecutor Alice Sykes said a meal was prepared on the stove using items from her cupboard.

The groceries had been removed from a bag and placed in the refrigerator, which was then rearranged, and the trash bin had been emptied.

Kitchen utensils were put in the trash and new ones from the shopping bag were laid out.

The brush heads on toothbrushes had also been replaced and the floor had been cleaned without a mop and bucket.

The victim noticed that a bottle of red wine had been left out next to a glass and a bottle opener, and that a bowl of sweets was on the living room table.

She then spoke to her neighbor, who described seeing someone hanging out her laundry.

A second burglary occurred at another property on July 29, when the homeowner received a CCTV alert on his phone showing Wojnilowicz walking in his driveway.

The suspect then used the shower in a summer house to wash and clean his clothes.

Food and drinks had also been consumed and the hot tub had also been left dirty.

The victim asked his son-in-law to come to the property and the suspect appeared drunk and had a glass in his hand.

He was asked to leave and did so, but the burglar was later arrested. His DNA was found on fingerprints from the first building he broke into.

In a victim personal statement, the first victim said: ‘Two weeks after the crime, until he was caught, I lived in a state of heightened anxiety that I had never experienced before.

Pictured: Cardiff Crown Court, where the burglar was sentenced

‘I wondered if it was someone who knew me, if it was going to be a stalking incident, if he knew I lived alone and if I was being targeted.

‘I was too scared to stay in my own house and stayed with a friend. When I returned home, I was accompanied by my daughter because I was too afraid to go alone. My two daughters came to check on me the next day and reassure me.’

The court heard the first victim was planning to move and was ‘hyper-conscious’ about safety. The second victim said he felt “sick, shocked and useless” when he became aware of the burglary.

Wojnilowicz, who was of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary. The court heard he has four previous convictions, including common assault, public order offenses and failing to surrender.

In mitigation, Tabitha Walker said her client was homeless at the time of the offenses and was experiencing a number of difficulties.

She said the defendant apologized to the victims and for the harm he caused them.

Sentencing, Recorder Christian Jowett said: ‘This was a significant burglary of their homes.’

He sentenced Wojnilowicz to a total of 22 months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court.