Related Articles
A BURGLAR broke into a Royal Mail depot because he was “homeless, starving and desperate”.
Kamil Nawrot was seen entering the sorting office at Denmark Villas in Hove in July.
CCTV showed him gaining access to a van using an aerial, finding a key and going into the depot to disable the alarm.
He claimed he wanted to find food and clothes and have a shower inside.
CCTV showed him stealing the contents of a vending machine and then driving a Royal Mail van out of the depot to “hand out” the stolen goods to other homeless friends.
He later returned and stole two phones, a Royal Mail jacket, £500 and a computer.
A week later, 36-year-old Nawrot triggered the alarm at St John the Baptist School in Whitehawk Hill Road, Brighton.
He smashed his way into the primary school to use the toilet, he said.
At Hove Crown Court he admitted burglary and criminal damage and was jailed for 16 weeks.
William Gatward, prosecuting, said Nawrot’s first offence took place on July 19 this year.
He said: “The defendant was caught on CCTV removing an aerial to break into a Royal Mail branded van, then disappearing out of view.
“A short time later he is seen with keys dangling out of his hands and entered the main building, where he disabled the alarm.
“Two hours later he is seen leaving the building
wearing a Royal Mail uniform and shorts and carrying two branded Royal Mail sacks.”
A week later Nawrot was found at the school in Whitehawk Hill Road and inside his bag was a screwdriver and items from the Royal Mail depot heist.
Daniel Frier, defending, said his client had been sleeping rough with other homeless people on the Downs.
He said his Polish client’s life hit rock bottom after a relationship breakdown in 2018, after originally moving to the country in 2008.
Mr Frier said Nawrot, now of no fixed address, had camped outside the Probation Service offices “begging” for help.
He said Nawrot burgled the depot as he wanted to find a shower and clean clothes.
He could not explain why he spray-painted a picture of an elephant inside the building.
Mr Frier said: “My client was living an extremely chaotic itinerant lifestyle.
“He describes himself as being homeless, starving and desperate.
“He wanted to be arrested. He broke in because he was desperate for food.”
Judge Anne Arnold said Nawrot committed the crimes while on post-sentence supervision.
She said: “You have a history of not complying with court orders.
“These offences are so serious that only custody can be justified.
“There will be no orders for compensation, costs or a surcharge as you clearly do not have means to pay that within the reasonable period of time.”
The judge told Nawrot that he will serve half the sentence before he is released on licence.
