Pair who burgled the unoccupied home of sick pensioner jailed

Two burglars have been jailed after targeting the unoccupied home of a sick pensioner.

Krysztof Barwinski and Szymon Antos were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 3 March after previously pleading guilty to the burglary of a dwelling and theft.

Barwinski was jailed for 20 months, with his accomplice, Antos, being handed a 16-month sentence.

It was heard in court that on Friday 13 September 2024 officers in Warrington received a call from a concerned member of the public, stating they believed a property in Paul Street, Warrington, had been burgled by two men. This was captured on video doorbell footage.

These men were later identified as Krysztof Barwinski and Szymon Antos.

The property belonged to an 88-year-old man who had previously been in hospital with an illness and had subsequently been discharged to a residential care home where he had been recovering further since late July 2024. His home had been left unoccupied but it had been secured before he went into hospital.

Further footage revealed the same men were seen only three days prior, paying close attention to the same property and clearly showed the two men's faces and clothing. Antos in particular was seen wearing a pair of distinctive black trainers with white detailing and a bright orange backpack on the night of the burglary.

Six days later, on Monday 16 September, the investigating officers were patrolling near to the burgled address when one of them spotted and recognised Antos, who was wearing the same shoes and backpack seen in the footage. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary.

A later search of Antos' home address led to officers locating Barwinski, who was found partially dressed in the garden. He was subsequently arrested and taken upstairs in the property to get properly dressed.

Upon entering Barwinski's room, officers found items including pieces of jewellery, family banking bonds and cash - all of which belonged to the man who lived on Paul Street.

During their subsequent interviews with investigating officers, the pair identified themselves on the video doorbell footage captured but denied any element of theft.

Despite this, they were subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to burglary and theft on 21 September 2024.

Following the sentencing, Police Constable Rhianna Latimer, said:

“As a force, we remain committed to doing all we can to bring thieves, like Antos and Barwinski, to justice and safeguard those who have been the subject of burglaries.

"Antos and Barwinski deliberately preyed on a vulnerable and elderly person who was recovering from illness and a spell in hospital, and who definitely did not need his home being burgled and the thought of being permanently deprived of several sentimental items adding to his list of worries.

"However, thanks to the call to police from the concerned member of the pubic, we were provided with vital evidence that not only placed the pair at the scene on the night of the burglary but captured them scoping out the address three days prior."