Cruel thief jailed for old soldier break-in

The late Arthur Hughes left‘vulnerable’after incidents

A young Polish man who left a Perth pensioner traumatised after breaking into his home, has been jailed for 44 months.

The family of former soldier Arthur Hughes previously told the PA he was so anxious after his High Street residence was ransacked twice last year he stopped eating, sleeping and going out and that his health rapidly deteriorated as a result.

Last month two relatives relayed how Mr Hughes, who was 88 when he died in March this year, was particularly upset that sentimental items, including a ring that had belonged to his late wife, had been taken during the two raids on his flat last August.

Polish man Patryk Moszczynski (21) was subsequently charged with one of the break-ins and he admitted stealing a wallet and its contents as well as souvenir coins plus their wallets and holders from Mr Hughes on August 9 when he appeared at Perth Sheriff Court last month.

During the same court appearance he further admitted to entering another property in Perth’s Victoria Street without permission on October 28 last year and stealing perfume, an unspecified quantity of jewellery and a wireless speaker while on bail for another offence.

The court heard ahead of his sentencing for the thefts this week Moszczynski had never been in trouble while living in Poland and had worked steadily since arriving in the UK, and it was only after a girl he formed a relationship with while living here left him last summer that he went off the rails.

“The couple had been living together,” explained solicitor Linda Clark who represented Moszczynski on Wednesday. “He saw the relationship as permanent and was extremely upset by the relationship coming to an end.”

She said Moszczynski suddenly went on a “spree of dabbling with alcohol and drugs” as a way of coping with his distress and resorted to stealing from people’s homes so he could sell the items and use the cash to feed his habits.

Suggesting he could atone for his crimes through some sort of community payback order Ms Clark added: “It is unfortunate someone of his age comes before the court and finds himself remanded in custody.”

Weighing up her sentencing options Sheriff Gillian Wade said a victim impact statement relating to Moszczynski’s crimes made for “worrying reading” noting in particular that Mr Hughes was described as feeling “vulnerable” after the break-in.

She sentenced Moszczynski to serve 18 months for stealing from Mr Hughes plus another 18 months for stealing from the other property in Victoria Street.

She added another eight months to his sentence in relation to an earlier charge of possessing a knuckle duster without a reasonable excuse earlier in 2017.

Speaking exclusively to the PA last month one of Mr Hughes’ relatives suggested the pensioner might still be alive had it not been for the anguish he suffered as a result of Moszczynski’s actions.

“If it hadn’t been for what happened he would have been around for a lot longer,” the relative said.

“He was in his own home. What more can you do to protect yourself?”