A mum has revealed her months of emotional turmoil after a police constable stole her underwear from her bedroom drawer.
Marcin Zielinski, 27, was filmed on camera rummaging through Lea-Ann Sullivan’s drawer to take a pair of pants before stuffing them into his back pocket. The ex-Hertfordshire Police officer was sentenced to four months behind bars on Monday after pleading guilty to one count of theft and a charge of corrupt/improper exercise of police powers and privileges by a constable.
The incident occurred on September 12, 2024 and Mrs Sullivan has endured anguish and sleepless nights for nearly one year since. Speaking last night, the mother of two 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?”
Zielinski resigned from his position at Hertfordshire Police during the probe into the theft, which took place when he was conducting a Section 32 search at a property.
During the evening of the incident, Mrs Sullivan was detained in connection with an unrelated matter and was subsequently released with no further action taken, the Mirror reports.
Cambridge Crown Court heard on Monday how Zielinski brazenly rifled through the drawer in the bedroom Mrs Sullivan shares with husband Grant. Grant first uncovered the ring doorbell footage when his partner was in custody.
Mrs Sullivan’s faith in the police force has hit rock bottom. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: “Once I found out he had taken them, every time I looked into that drawer the video played back in my head… I would never have let him into my home if he was not a police officer and he has completely misused his position and trust to facilitate his own habits.”
She revealed the humiliating experience of having to identify her underwear in a police line-up in front of other officers. She was shown 15 pairs of knickers allegedly found at Zielinski’s home in Shefford, Bedfordshire – but hers weren’t initially among them.
The distressed mum has since disposed of all her underwear and the chest of drawers as they served as constant reminders of the distressing video. While she feels the sentencing has provided some “closure”, she believes Zielinski should have been given a longer prison sentence.
“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,” Ms Sullivan stated.
“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. Look at Wayne Couzens, he started flashing and he’s killed a lady.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer stated: “Zielinski has let down the public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a whole and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
“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.”