Thief who attempted to rob partygoers before running from police is jailed at Peterborough Crown Court

A man who attempted to rob people as they walked home from a night out before going on to burgle an unsecured office block has been jailed for three years.
Angelo ZielinskaAngelo Zielinska
Angelo Zielinska

Angelo Zielinska, 35, began his crime spree on April 11 last year at about 2am when he approached a group of men as they made their way home after a night out in Cambridge.

He asked if they had any cigarettes but when they told him they didn’t, he threatened to pull a knife on them. The men ran away and managed to lose the suspect.

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At about 3am, another man was walking out of the city centre over the Hills Road railway bridge when Zielinska approached him and, again, asked for a cigarette. When the man explained he didn’t have any, Zielinska once again became aggressive, challenging the man to a fight before threatening to cut him with a knife. The man ran and called police when he arrived home.

Angelo ZielinskaAngelo Zielinska
Angelo Zielinska

Zielinska made his way back towards Cambridge city centre where he entered a commercial building through an unlocked door. He walked over to the security desk and took two mobile phones, concealing them in his pockets before leaving through the same door.

However, officers responding to the attempted robberies had seen Zielinska enter the building and tried to arrest him but he ran off before being handcuffed. They detained him further down the road.

Zielinska, of Cecil Grove, Camden, London, was found guilty at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday (January 28) of two counts of attempted robbery, one count of burglary and another of attempting to escape custody.

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Detective Constable Andrew McKeane, who investigated, said: “Zielinska was brazen in the way he carried out his crimes that evening and I’m pleased we were able to catch him and return the stolen items to their rightful owners.”