Jail term for Sunderland thief caught with illegal pepper spray weapon

Radoslaw Chmielewski is already serving 16 months behind bars after leaving a pensioner “very shaken” when she awoke to find him stealing sentimental jewellery from her Washington home.

Now he has been dealt with by magistrates for offences committed just over a week before the January 12 burglary.

Chmielewski, 38, whose address was given in court as Holme House Prison, Stockton, admitted possessing a pepper spray weapon in Washington on January 3.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing a £40 diagnostic machine from a car in Washington the same day.

Sunderland Magistrates’ Court has jailed him for eight weeks and ordered him to pay a £122 victim surcharge.

The sentence, however, will run concurrently rather than in addition to the 16 months’ imprisonment he received at Newcastle Crown Court in March for the burglary.

The crown court heard that the 89-year-old widow woke to find a “dark figure” standing near her chest of drawers.

Chemielewski, a former caretaker who previously lived in Washington, escaped with food and irreplaceable jewellery, including the victim's late husband's pocket watch and her wedding ring, in the raid.

The crown court was told that she was so traumatised by her ordeal that she decided to move home.

He admitted burglary and three separate offences after he was caught trying car doors on Washington’s Coach Road Estate.

His barrister said Chemielewski had lost his job, relationship and home because of heroin and was homeless and penniless when committing the offences.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition:

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of.

Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.