A horrified mom who had her underwear stolen by a police officer has instructed how the ‘nightmare’ left her struggling sleepless nights and months of emotional misery.
Marcin Zielinski, 27, was caught rifling by Lea-Ann Sullivan’s drawers earlier than grabbing a pair of underwear and slipping them into his again pocket throughout a go to to the property on September 12, 2024.
The Hertfordshire Constabulary officer admitted one cost of theft and a cost of corrupt/improper train of police powers and privileges by a constable and was jailed for 4 months on Monday.
Whereas his sentencing has introduced some ‘closure’, Lea-Ann remains to be reeling from the horrific year-long ordeal and has left her belief for the police at an all-time low.
‘I feel I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I have been offended. I really feel susceptible, really feel scared. I simply assume I really feel sick about the entire state of affairs,’ the mother-of-two instructed the Each day Mail.
‘I am continually considering, what did he need them for? Why did he take them? What’s he going to do with them? What number of extra folks has he performed it to?’
Lea-Ann felt so ‘violated’ by the incident that she has since removed all her underwear and the chest of drawers because it grew to become a continuing reminder of the harrowing video.
Her daughter, who’s autistic, was additionally left reeling from the incident and is now so afraid of police that she is reluctant to ever name them if she will get in bother.
Lea-Ann Sullivan, pictured along with her husband Grant, was left her struggling sleepless nights and months of emotional misery after her underwear was stolen by a police officer
Hertfordshire Constabulary police officer Marcin Zielinski, 27, who has been jailed for 4 months after stealing Lea-Ann’s underwear on September 12, 2024
‘As soon as I discovered he had taken them, each time I regarded into that drawer the video performed again in my head,’ Lea-Ann added.
‘I needed to clear my drawers and throw away all my underwear as they saved reminding me of the state of affairs and I felt disgusted.
‘I might by no means have let him into my dwelling if he was not a police officer and he has fully misused his place and belief to facilitate his personal habits.’
Through the night time of the incident, Lea-Ann was arrested in reference to an unrelated matter and was later launched with no additional motion taken.
However she was nonetheless in custody when her associate Grant first found the ring doorbell footage and was shocked by what he noticed.
‘It wasn’t till a couple of days later that we regarded again on the digital camera and noticed the policeman going into the drawer and going again into the drawer.
‘On the footage he alerts to the opposite man “I’ve searched this room, go and search the opposite room”.
‘So he despatched the opposite officer out and that is when he proceeded to open the drawer and stick them in his again pocket.’
Ring footage reveals Zielinski rifling by the girl’s underwear drawer in her bed room
He hides the underwear in his again pocket after which slowly walks out of the room. He has now been jailed for 4 months
‘I used to be very shocked and offended to say the least. My spouse was sick.
‘She nonetheless does not go within the drawer now, she removed the cupboard.
‘My spouse was within the cell nonetheless, so I went straight to the police station and reported it.’
The couple had been then confronted with additional turmoil as Lea-Ann was pressured to establish her underwear in a police parade in entrance of different officers.
‘Lea-Ann needed to go and do an ID parade to establish the knickers.
‘We needed to go to secret location to establish out of 15 pairs of knickers that they’d acquired from the officer’s home. The knickers weren’t there.
‘However the officer could not deny it, as a result of he was on movie taking it.
‘There was 15 pairs of knickers, and who’s to say that he did not nick them from the opposite folks?’
Zielinski could be seen throughout a search of Lea-Ann’s home after she was arrested
Lea-Ann revealed that her 13-year-old daughter, who’s autistic, has additionally been left emotionally traumatised by the horrific incident.
‘My little woman retains considering nicely what in the event that they took one thing from my bed room as a result of there is no cameras in it.
‘After I acquired arrested, she was upstairs and her dad was downstairs. She mentioned the officers simply saved giving her soiled seems and made her really feel uncomfortable.
‘So she acquired her teddy and went down and sat along with her dad.
‘We instructed them my daughter is autistic and to be delicate and quiet with the state of affairs.
‘They did not. They only ripped it aside, had been noisy, made a multitude in all places. They was fairly disrespectful in the direction of our home.’
Lea-Ann mentioned her daughter is now afraid of police and believes she is going to by no means strategy a police officer if in bother.
‘It has significantly modified how she views the police, and she or he is reluctant to go to the police in concern that she is going to expertise comparable or worse,’ she mentioned.
Mom-of-two Lea-Ann pictured along with her associate Grant
Lea-Ann believes Zielinski’s sentence was not harsh sufficient and believes he needs to be behind bars for longer.
‘I do not assume [his sentence] is lengthy sufficient, however I am all about instructing somebody lesson.
‘Initially I assumed it was simply going to get a suspended sentence, as a result of I actually didn’t assume they had been going to take it severely.
‘However I do assume he does need to see the regulation from the opposite aspect. He cannot simply have the facility journey to get away with it.
Lea-Ann stays involved that Zielinski was solely caught because of their very own ingenuity and fears what would have occurred if he focused another person.
‘What in regards to the individuals who cannot combat for themselves, which might be aged, which might be susceptible. What if that is a disabled woman.
‘Or what if he takes it to the following degree. Take a look at Wayne Cousens, he began flashing and he is killed a girl.
‘I simply do not belief any of them, and I do not even belief the ladies.’
The couple (pictured) have been left reeling from the incident and their belief in police is at an all-time low
Zielinski was additionally condemned by his power who mentioned his behaviour represented a ‘basic betrayal of the general public’.
The cop resigned from the power whereas beneath investigation in November 2024.
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer mentioned: ‘Zielinski has let down the general public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a complete and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
‘His felony behaviour damages the popularity of policing and represents a basic betrayal of the general public and the values for which the police service stands.’
