Bizarre Break-In: Burglar Cleans, Refills Bird Feeders And Cooks Meal Before Being Caught

A bizarre burglary in Monmouthshire, Wales, has gained widespread publicity because of the extremely strange nature of the crime. On July 16, 2024, Damian Wojnilowicz, 36, broke into a woman’s home and trashed her possessions. However, he also cleaned the property and cooked a meal. He even hung out some laundry. Wojnilowicz has been jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to two burglaries.

According to the BBC report, upon returning, the unnamed victim found her house had been rifled. Things were moved around, groceries unpacked and placed in the fridge, and even the floor was mopped. Wojnilowicz had also refilled bird feeders and put packaging material tidily in the recycling bin.

He even left a bizarre note reading: “Don’t worry, be happy, eat up and scratch.”

The victim outlined her trauma in a personal statement read to the court, stating that she had been afraid to stay in her own home and had stayed with friends for a week after the crime was committed, BBC added.

She said she felt constantly on edge and paranoid, worrying she could have been specifically targeted or followed by someone who knew her movements.

Prosecutor Alice Sykes told the news outlet that a meal had been made using things from her cupboard. Shopping had been taken out of a carrier bag and put in the fridge, which had been moved. Her utensils had been put in the bin, and new ones from the bag had been put out.

A second burglary, as per the publication, happened on July 29 when a male homeowner had a CCTV notification on his phone while at work, showing Wojnilowicz in his driveway. He’d gone inside the home through an unlocked back door and used the shower in a summerhouse before eating food, drinking alcohol and leaving the hot tub dirty.

The homeowner’s son-in-law found Wojnilowicz inside, drunk and holding a glass. He was told to go but three days later he was arrested, with DNA proving he’d committed the first burglary.

Wojnilowicz, homeless at the time, admitted two counts of burglary. He had four previous convictions, including assault and public order offences, the BBC report added. Jailing him, Recorder Christian Jowett said it was a “significant intrusion”.