Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Golf course thief appeals sentence
A THIEF who had his jaw broken after being caught stealing from a Dundee flat is appealing his jail sentence.
Cezary Okuniewski, 47, was caught with a haul of goods outside a flat belonging to a then-chef at Downfield Golf Course in August 2016.
The man who was living in the flat at the ti me, Ryan Souter, t humped Okuniewski and pinned him to the ground until police arrived.
Okuniewski, of Adamson Drive, was locked up for 20 months in January, but is scheduled to appeal his sentence at the High Court of Criminal Appeal.
Items stolen from the property included a Sony TV, a jukebox, trainers worth £130 and cans of alcohol.
At the time of the offence, Mr Souter was a chef at the golf course.
After coming downstairs at 12.30am on the night in question, he noticed several items had been moved and a 50-inch TV was missing.
Fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin told Perth Sheriff Court: “At about 10.30pm on August 9 2016, the complainer retired to bed.
“The doors were locked and the windows secure.
“At about 12.30am, the complainer went down to have a cigarette and went into the living room where he saw items had been moved around and the flatscreen television was not there.
“He went into the kitchen and saw a window was open and the front door was ajar.”
She added: “He heard a noise outside and went outside while his girlfriend called the police.
“The accused was found outside the property and was being kept hold of by the complainer until the police arrived.
“An injury was suffered by the accused, who was found to have a hairline fracture on the jaw.
“The police attended with a dog and items were found in various locations on the golf course.”
Okuniewski admitted that on August 10 2016, he broke into the caretaker’s flat at Downfield Golf Course and stole a TV, remotes, a jukebox, alcohol and trainers.
A television remote was found in Okuniewski’s pocket with other goods discovered in and around the golf course area.
Solicitor Mike Short said his client was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offence.
He said he had lost out on benefits and was struggling with rent.
The court heard Okuniewski was working at the time, but lost his job due to the injury he suffered.
Okuniewski was sentenced to 20 months in prison by Sheriff Gillian Wade who said: “He didn’t seem to think about the impact on his victim.”
Lawyers will make a case for the Polish national’s sentence to be reduced at a hearing in Edinburgh next week.