Neighbour told about burglary by home raider
AWOMAN who broke into her neighbour’s house stole jewellery and pawned it before calling her victim to tell her she had been burgled, a court has heard.
Anne Matwychuk smashed her way through the rear window of her friend’s property when she was at work and took her jewellery box.
After pawning the goods she called the victim to report that her home had been broken into.
Sending Matwychuk to prison, a judge described it as a “mean” burglary committed against somebody who had shown kindness to her.
Swansea Crown Court heard the victim left home in the Townhill area of the city early on the morning of May 14 to go to work.
After she left, Matwychuk used a brick to smash her way into the house, stealing items including a Kindle, iPad and euro notes from a cupboard, and took a jewellery box from a bedroom.
Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said that by 10.30am the defendant was in the city centre, where she visited Tilleys pawnbrokers looking to sell the jewellery.
The court heard that after seeing expensive items such as gold wedding bands among the items, staff challenged her about where they had come from.
She said the rings had belonged to her grandmother.
After producing ID to prove her identity, 40-year-old Matwychuk – who was described as being “relaxed and smiling” – was given £700 for the jewellery.
The defendant then went home and called the victim.
When the victim arrived at her property she was greeted by Matwychuk, who claimed she had also been burgled. Matwychuk subsequently made a report to that effect to the police.
Mr Pulling said the jewellery taken from the victim contained items given to her by her now-deceased mother and grandmother, which were “irreplaceable”.
He said she made a list of the missing items and went to pawnbrokers in the hope of recovering some of them.
The court heard Matwychuk was arrested after returning to the pawnbrokers four weeks later.
Matwychuk, of Bryn y Clochydd, Townhill, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to burglary when she appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Steve Burnell, for Matwychuk, said the defendant felt “remorse and shame” for what she had done.
Judge Huw Rees sentenced her to 18 months in prison. Matwychuk will serve half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.