The Good Morning Breakfast
Good guy burglar?─── 13:54 Mon, 13 Oct 2014
An elderly couple returned from holiday to find a Polish burglar lying asleep in their bed after he broke in and spent two days treating their house as his own home.
Intruder Lukasz Chojnowski, 28, enjoyed a bubble bath, cooked dinner and even tidied the home of Pat Dyson, 73, and her partner Martin Holtby, 78, in Nelson, Lancashire, while they were away on five day National Trust break.
When they returned they found Chojnowski, who had come to the UK to find work, but had lost his lodgings due to language problems, sleeping in their bed and called the police.
Intruder Lukasz Chojnowski, 28, enjoyed a bubble bath, cooked dinner and even tidied the home of Pat Dyson, 73, and her partner Martin Holtby, 78, in Nelson, Lancashire, while they were away on five day National Trust break.
When they returned they found Chojnowski, who had come to the UK to find work, but had lost his lodgings due to language problems, sleeping in their bed and called the police.
The couple also found that a chicken fillet and pasta dinner had been prepared, dinner plates, post and newspapers were neatly stacked, the bath filled with water and even the intruder’s socks and underwear hanging out to dry.
Just like the Goldilocks fairytale Mr Holtby, exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake as Mrs Dyson called police.
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Chojnowski later claimed he had been evicted from his regular lodgings, thought the couple’s terraced house was 'derelict' and forced open a rear window. Nothing had been taken from their home.
Chojnowski, an upholsterer, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft at Burnley Crown Court.
The court was told that Mrs Dyson, a former tourist information officer and Mr Holtby, a retired civil servant had gone to Hereford on a sightseeing trip.
Shock: Mr Holtby, pictured with the torch he used to wake the intruder, had exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake
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Shock: Mr Holtby, pictured with the torch he used to wake the intruder, had exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake
On their return at midnight on July 14, they noticed no post behind the front door and the cordless telephone moved from its base on a table in the hallway. The couple went into the kitchen and found bags of pasta, processed cheese and the chicken fillets on the worktops.
Tim Ashmole, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Holtby went upstairs and his partner heard him say: “What are you doing? Get out, get up.”
'She became immediately alarmed, ran upstairs and came across a bizarre situation where Mr Holtby was standing over the defendant, who was in bed. She described Chojnowski as cowering under the bed sheets.'
Unwanted guest: Mrs Dyson (pictured) said that in terms of burglars, Chojnowski was 'the most domesticated one I could ever ask for', and would even consider hiring him as a butler
+5
Unwanted guest: Mrs Dyson (pictured) said that in terms of burglars, Chojnowski was 'the most domesticated one I could ever ask for', and would even consider hiring him as a butler
Mr Ashmole said an open suitcase, containing Chojnowski’s belongings, was on the floor. The bath was half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath and there was a smell of perfume. The couple tried to communicate with Chojnowski, who spoke little English, before calling 999 and Mrs Dyson locked the front door to prevent the intruder escaping.
Mr Ashmole said: 'In short, the defendant was making himself very much at home in their address.
'It’s quite an extraordinary state of affairs to come across. The Crown’s case is he just took pot luck, hoping that nobody would come back in the immediate future. He looked though some jewellery boxes, but he did not take anything. He was using the home as a cosy little hideaway.'
The court was told that Chojnowski had been asked to leave his rented home due to language problems and while searching for a new place to stay had spotted the overgrown 'wildlife garden' at the front of the couple’s home.
'The defendant chose the house because he initially thought it was empty,' said Laura Heywood, mitigating.
Return: The couple returned to their home to find the bath half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath, and there was a smell of perfume
+5
Return: The couple returned to their home (left) to find the bath (right) half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath, and there was a smell of perfume
'He said the garden was overgrown and he entered. At that point, he must have known somebody was residing there. He stayed there for two days, hoping the owners wouldn’t return, out of necessity, because he didn’t have anywhere else to stay.'
Chojnowski, now of Bury, was given a two year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £200 costs.
Judge Mr Recorder Raymond Herman said: 'It would appear you entered this property not with any deep intent to be dishonest, but simply as somewhere to live and probably hide for some days. You were looking for somewhere to live in some sort of desperation.
'It’s right to say Mrs Dyson and Mr Holtby are at pains to ensure the court understands that they feel you left the house in a neat and tidy condition and from that I infer they feel some sympathy for you.'
Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Dyson said: 'It was all just so surreal and not something you expect to come home to but at least it wasn’t like some of these awful things you see on Crimewatch.
'The post and papers were neatly stacked in a pile and there were plates neatly stacked on the draining board and he had obviously made himself dinner. I was calling police when Martin said "Pat - there is someone sleeping in our bed and he’s still here."
'It was just like something out of Goldilocks.
'We prodded him to wake him up but he just moaned and went deeper into the covers. As I walked back to go downstairs I noticed there was water in the bath and the towels had been left on the floor all wet. I also noticed he had done his washing. He had put the airer up and put his smalls and t-shirts out to dry.
'When the man woke up was completely bedfuddled - and I don’t think he knew what to think. A policewoman was there when they escorted him out.'
She added: 'I don’t know how he could think our house was derelict. Martin has volunteered as an estate manager and worked in woodland management for the last 30 years and he likes our garden to be like that.
'In terms of burglars he was the most domesticated one I could ever ask for. Fancy washing his dishes and airing his smalls. I would happily put up in the cellar as our butler - I think he would be very good at that.
'I have been told he was living with other polish folk and got kicked out - I can only assume he was too tidy for them, insisting he would always do the washing up.'
Just like the Goldilocks fairytale Mr Holtby, exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake as Mrs Dyson called police.
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Chojnowski later claimed he had been evicted from his regular lodgings, thought the couple’s terraced house was 'derelict' and forced open a rear window. Nothing had been taken from their home.
Chojnowski, an upholsterer, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft at Burnley Crown Court.
The court was told that Mrs Dyson, a former tourist information officer and Mr Holtby, a retired civil servant had gone to Hereford on a sightseeing trip.
Shock: Mr Holtby, pictured with the torch he used to wake the intruder, had exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake
+5
Shock: Mr Holtby, pictured with the torch he used to wake the intruder, had exclaimed: 'Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and he’s still here?' before prodding their unwelcome house guest awake
On their return at midnight on July 14, they noticed no post behind the front door and the cordless telephone moved from its base on a table in the hallway. The couple went into the kitchen and found bags of pasta, processed cheese and the chicken fillets on the worktops.
Tim Ashmole, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Holtby went upstairs and his partner heard him say: “What are you doing? Get out, get up.”
'She became immediately alarmed, ran upstairs and came across a bizarre situation where Mr Holtby was standing over the defendant, who was in bed. She described Chojnowski as cowering under the bed sheets.'
Unwanted guest: Mrs Dyson (pictured) said that in terms of burglars, Chojnowski was 'the most domesticated one I could ever ask for', and would even consider hiring him as a butler
+5
Unwanted guest: Mrs Dyson (pictured) said that in terms of burglars, Chojnowski was 'the most domesticated one I could ever ask for', and would even consider hiring him as a butler
Mr Ashmole said an open suitcase, containing Chojnowski’s belongings, was on the floor. The bath was half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath and there was a smell of perfume. The couple tried to communicate with Chojnowski, who spoke little English, before calling 999 and Mrs Dyson locked the front door to prevent the intruder escaping.
Mr Ashmole said: 'In short, the defendant was making himself very much at home in their address.
'It’s quite an extraordinary state of affairs to come across. The Crown’s case is he just took pot luck, hoping that nobody would come back in the immediate future. He looked though some jewellery boxes, but he did not take anything. He was using the home as a cosy little hideaway.'
The court was told that Chojnowski had been asked to leave his rented home due to language problems and while searching for a new place to stay had spotted the overgrown 'wildlife garden' at the front of the couple’s home.
'The defendant chose the house because he initially thought it was empty,' said Laura Heywood, mitigating.
Return: The couple returned to their home to find the bath half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath, and there was a smell of perfume
+5
Return: The couple returned to their home (left) to find the bath (right) half-full of hot water, with bubbles on top as if someone had just had a bath, and there was a smell of perfume
'He said the garden was overgrown and he entered. At that point, he must have known somebody was residing there. He stayed there for two days, hoping the owners wouldn’t return, out of necessity, because he didn’t have anywhere else to stay.'
Chojnowski, now of Bury, was given a two year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £200 costs.
Judge Mr Recorder Raymond Herman said: 'It would appear you entered this property not with any deep intent to be dishonest, but simply as somewhere to live and probably hide for some days. You were looking for somewhere to live in some sort of desperation.
'It’s right to say Mrs Dyson and Mr Holtby are at pains to ensure the court understands that they feel you left the house in a neat and tidy condition and from that I infer they feel some sympathy for you.'
Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Dyson said: 'It was all just so surreal and not something you expect to come home to but at least it wasn’t like some of these awful things you see on Crimewatch.
'The post and papers were neatly stacked in a pile and there were plates neatly stacked on the draining board and he had obviously made himself dinner. I was calling police when Martin said "Pat - there is someone sleeping in our bed and he’s still here."
'It was just like something out of Goldilocks.
'We prodded him to wake him up but he just moaned and went deeper into the covers. As I walked back to go downstairs I noticed there was water in the bath and the towels had been left on the floor all wet. I also noticed he had done his washing. He had put the airer up and put his smalls and t-shirts out to dry.
'When the man woke up was completely bedfuddled - and I don’t think he knew what to think. A policewoman was there when they escorted him out.'
She added: 'I don’t know how he could think our house was derelict. Martin has volunteered as an estate manager and worked in woodland management for the last 30 years and he likes our garden to be like that.
'In terms of burglars he was the most domesticated one I could ever ask for. Fancy washing his dishes and airing his smalls. I would happily put up in the cellar as our butler - I think he would be very good at that.
'I have been told he was living with other polish folk and got kicked out - I can only assume he was too tidy for them, insisting he would always do the washing up.'
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