A 39-year-old man who handed himself in at the police station whilst drunk and not wearing shoes has been sentenced to over 300 hours community service for multiple offences – including breaking into an unoccupied house, stealing two bottles of wine, and driving without a licence.

Rafal Ratajczak was sentenced to 312 hours of community service, fined £1,000 and banned from driving for nine months in the Royal Court on Friday.

The most serious offence was when he broke into a house in St Peter whilst the owners were on holiday.

The property was up for sale at the time, and had few belongings inside.

When the owners returned, they realised that the back door key and car battery charger was missing from the house.

They also noticed that one of the bedroom windows had been forced open and damaged.

Police conducted forensic investigations, and Ratajczak’s fingerprints were found on the window.

His car was searched, and the missing key and battery charger were found inside.

Ratajczak was also sentenced for stealing two bottles of wine from Morrisons Daily in St Ouen on two separate occasions.

Both thefts were captured on the shop’s CCTV cameras.

Ratajczak was also found to have been driving without a licence or insurance after police were called by a member of public regarding a suspected drunk driver.

Ratajczak’s car was located on Devonshire Place in St Helier, and it was deemed to be unfit for the road.

Ratajczak later confirmed that he had been driving the car at the time, and claimed to have a Polish driving licence which he had lost.

In the early hours of 10 September 2024, Ratajczak handed himself in at police headquarters.

He was not wearing shoes and was intoxicated at the time.

Ratajczak was interviewed later that day, and admitted breaking into the property in St Peter.

He claimed that he only went inside once and that he was “completely drunk” at the time.

Ratajczak said that he felt “shame” because of how he had made the property owners feel.

He also admitted both incidents of stealing wine from Morrisons.

Ratajczak appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on in January, and entered guilty pleas to all charges.

The case was referred to the Royal Court for sentencing.

Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, told the court on Friday that Ratajczak “was at his lowest ebb” at the time of the offending.

“He was homeless, he was without work, he had no hope and frankly he was drinking himself to death,” the advocate said.

He added that Ratajczak had not had a drink since October, spent 12 weeks in Silkworth Lodge, and was now working there as a volunteer – helping other people with alcohol problems.

Commissioner Alan Binnington said the break-in was considered the most serious offence for its psychological impact on the owners.

He added that the courts often dealt with people who claimed to have changed, but the Jurats felt that Ratajczak had genuinely done so.

He told Ratajczak: “You take responsibility for all your offences and you have expressed remorse.

“Not only have you changed but you are helping other people to do so.

“We very much hope that your change will be a permanent one.”