A BURGLAR cooked himself a meal, helped himself to a bottle of wine before hanging out the victim’s washing to dry.

Damian Wojnilowicz, 36, from Newport committed the “very unusual burglary” in Monmouthshire on the morning of July 16 after the owner had gone out.

The defendant left the woman, a teacher, a note which read: “Don’t worry, be happy.”

Alice Sykes, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court: “This is a very unusual burglary.

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“There had been the consumption of food and alcohol.

“The victim spoke to her neighbour who said she had seen someone hanging the washing on the line.”

Wojnilowicz had also cleaned floors, empty a bin and rearranged items throughout the house before leaving.

Two weeks later, he struck again in a similar burglary in Newport when he went into the victims’ summer house.

This time he washed his clothes and waited for them to dry before again tucking into some food.

The complainants were able to watch the burglary live on a mobile phone via security cameras while they were stuck in traffic.

They contacted a family member who confronted the defendant at the property and asked him to leave.

Wojnilowicz was arrested shortly after.

“He made flippant and sarcastic comments throughout his interview,” Miss Sykes revealed.

The victim of the burglary in Monmouthshire said in a statement: “For two weeks after I was living in a state of high anxiety.

“I wondered if it was someone who knew me.”

She described herself as being “traumatised” as a result.

It had cost her £220 to install an alarm and the food and drink had left her £40 out of pocket.

The second complainants confessed to feeling “sick, horrified and useless” as a result of their experience.

Wojnilowicz admitted two counts of burglary.

The defendant had four previous convictions for 10 offences, including possession of a bladed article in a public place and common assault.

Tabitha Walker representing Wojnilowicz asked the court to give her client credit for his guilty pleas.

“He has expressed remorse for his actions and is sorry to both the complainants and for the harm he has caused them,” she added.

Jailing the defendant for 22 months, Recorder Christian Jowett told him: “You pose a significant risk to the public.”

Wojnilowicz, who followed the proceedings with the help of a Polish interpreter, will have to pay a £187 victim surcharge following his release from custody.