"Despicable" - Burglar posed as policeman to steal from dying man's home in Sea Mills, Bristol
A "DESPICABLE" burglar posed as a police officer to trick his way into the house of a man dying of cancer before stealing presents bought for a family friend.
Robert Kolwicz, 63, had not long returned home from treatment at hospital when he answered the door to Ross Madden.
Madden claimed to be a police officer and said he needed to search the flat on Woodend Walk, Sea Mills, because he was investigating money laundering.
Mr Kolwicz, a retired lorry driver, let Madden in. The 21-year-old searched both bedrooms before saying he couldn't find anything.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013
An hour after he left, Mr Kolwicz realised a laptop computer and an iPod had been stolen from his spare room. The theft took place on December 14 and the grandad-of-three had been planning to give the Christmas gifts to a close family friend who often visited him.
After the raid, his health and state of mind deteriorated and he had to spend what is likely to be his last Christmas Day – also his birthday – back in the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Mr Kolwicz's son Nathan said: "A crime is a crime, but for someone to do something like this – I wouldn't wish it on anybody. If he'd burgled a warehouse belonging to a multimillion pound company that's one thing, but to target a vulnerable pensioner with cancer is terrible.
"Dad had not long come home from hospital when it happened. The burglary really knocked him back. He lasted about ten days before he was back at the BRI and after that he didn't want to go back home. He's now in a care home in Winterbourne."
The 31-year-old, of Chipping Sodbury, added: "The burglary made him a nervous wreck and he was ringing me at three or four in the morning, worried."
Mr Kolwicz couldn't afford to replace the Christmas presents stolen by Madden, 21, of Vincent Close, Lawrence Weston.
Madden was identified from a fingerprint that scenes of crimes experts recovered from Mr Kolwicz's front door. As he was known to the police and had previous convictions for raiding people's homes, he was arrested on December 19 and charged with burglary.
In police interview, Madden claimed he had gone to Woodend Walk with a friend who wanted to go to his granddad's flat.
He claimed it was his friend who searched the rooms before handing him a bag containing a computer.
However, by the time the case came to Bristol Crown Court, with no evidence that anyone else had been with Madden that day, he admitted the charge and was sentenced to two years and 146 days in prison by Judge Julian Lambert.
DC Kai Hannan, of Avon and Somerset police's dedicated Doorstep Crime Team, said: "This really was a despicable crime. Ross Madden targeted and preyed on an elderly and vulnerable man.
"The notion that someone would not know that Mr Kolwicz was ill, given his current condition, is simply not true."
12 Comments
View all
by BedmoBanjo
Thursday, January 31 2013, 12:15PM
“Controversial Pogo, don't you know this is a digital stocks? Boo crime! Boo! Fetch me the branding iron!”
by Sgtda1
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 3:50PM
“Pogo t clown
Is every1 knuckledraggers to u?? I find your comments rude and offensive!!! But I suppose your just a clown...so it doesn't matter what u say, we all just laugh:-) at u”
by Pogo_T_Clown
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 12:45PM
“To be fair, it's unlikely that the guy knew his victim was very sick. In his mind, he was simply committing a robbery, rather than deliberately preying on someone terminally ill.
I think this underlines the fact that we rarely know and even more rarely care about the impact of our actions. For instance, whilst I can safely predict that the daytime TV-watching knuckledraggers from Knowle will howl and beat their chests, thinking that I'm making excuses for a criminal, it's harder to predict how more advanced people will react.
I guess that's what makes life interesting! :)”
by bruce07
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 11:40AM
“Pin a picture of this sub-life on an outside door and throw darts at it - just over two and a half years prison for this offence goes nowhere to prevent it happening again.
People like Madden laugh at the rest of us because he doesn't have to work to make a living - if only this scum were to come up against a real man and get flattened or if he was caught raiding a crime-boss relative - then we might see some justice.
Our courts and justice system are run by privileged fairies who seek to subjugate further the general public rather than reduce crime by punishment.”
by nickthegas
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 11:30AM
“Very sorry for Mr. Kolwicz, but I di not agree with his sons comment, "A crime is a crime, but for someone to do something like this – I wouldn't wish it on anybody. If he'd burgled a warehouse belonging to a multimillion pound company that's one thing". He almost implies that is ok to rob an innocent company because they can afford it!!!”
by aking0802
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 11:29AM
“Its horrible what happened, but he'll be given either a slap on the wrist to not do it again, or a sentence of 5 years and be out within 3 months. We'll wait and see.”
by EireneRose
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 11:23AM
“Well one of the photo's is that of a brave man.......... and that certainly isn't Madden.
Madden's photo is that of a cowardly, despicable piece of lowlife.”
by nimosee
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 11:13AM
“Get a piece of wood and bat his hands then take him to the woods and kneecap him”
by westywardy
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 9:59AM
“Scum. Throw away the key.”
by nimosee
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 9:55AM
“We brand animals so why cant we brand his forhead burglar.”