- Police officer Marcin Zielinski stole a woman’s underwear during a home search in September 2024
- Zielinski resigned in November 2024 while under investigation for theft and abuse of power
- He admitted one charge of theft and one of corrupt exercise of police powers
A creepy case was reported in September 2024 when an on-duty police officer was captured on camera stealing a woman's underwear while searching her home. The police officer, identified as Marcin Zielinski, 47, has now been jailed, BBC reported.
According to the report, Zielinski resigned from the force while he was still under investigation in November 2024. He admitted to one charge of theft and a charge of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers and privileges by a constable.
Zielinski was jailed for four months at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday.
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Here's What Had Happened
Zielinski was working for Hertfordshire Police when he carried out the Section 32 search at a home in Stevenage on September 12, 2024, Cambridge Crown Court heard.
The on-duty cop was rifling through the woman's belongings when he focused on a chest of drawers. The 27-year-old was seen pulling the underwear from one of the drawers and stuffing it into his pants pockets.
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: "Zielinski has let down the public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a whole and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
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"His criminal behaviour damages the reputation of policing and represents a fundamental betrayal of the public and the values for which the police service stands."
The woman, identified as Lea-Ann Sullivan, who was living there, was arrested in an unrelated matter. She was later released. She said she has experienced distress and sleepless nights for nearly one year.
As quoted by The Mirror, Sullivan said: "I think I've cried, I've laughed, I've been angry. I feel vulnerable, feel scared. I just think I feel sick about the whole situation."
"I'm constantly thinking, what did he want them for? Why did he take them? What's he going to do with them? How many more people has he done it to?"
"I don't think [his sentence] is long enough, but I'm all about teaching someone lesson... I do think he does deserve to see the law from the other side. He can't just have the power trip to get away with it," Sullivan added.
"What about the people who can't fight for themselves, that are elderly, that are vulnerable. What if that's a disabled lady... Or what if he takes it to the next level."
