A homeless man said he felt ‘terrible’ for an 11-month burglary spree that saw him filch dumbbells from David Lloyd gym and children’s toys from an Oxford home.

Konrad Peotrovskae, 34, also stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of office equipment from Cowley-based businesses during the nearly year-long pattern of offending.

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning, Peotrovskae, of no fixed address, pleaded to eight counts of burglary and one charge of possession of cannabis. He had no previous convictions.

Standing in the dock wearing a white turtle neck jumper, the defendant was asked to confirm his guilty pleas to all counts.

“I feel terrible, but yes,” he told the judge through a Polish interpreter.

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District Judge Kamlesh Rana remanded him into custody and sent his case to Oxford Crown Court for sentence on December 16.

She said the matters were too serious to be dealt with at the magistrates’ court, where the maximum sentence that can be imposed is 12 months’ imprisonment.

David Pallett, defending, said his client would not be making a bail application.

Earlier, the court heard that Peotrovskae had broken into a business in Parkway Court, Cowley, on December 14 last year and made off with office equipment worth more than £10,800.

The following day he returned to the same office complex, stealing £3,000-worth of office equipment.

On December 28, he was back at the same business park. After breaking-in, he stole a server worth £3,564.

On April 4, he took a ‘large screen’ from another office building. The following month, on May 17, he broke into the David Lloyd gym in Cowley and stole 20 dumbbells and ‘several weighted plates’. The value of the exercise equipment was ‘unknown’, according to the charge read out on Thursday.

He burgled Fountain House on Oxford Business Park, Cowley, on June 6, stealing computer equipment, iPhones and other tech worth £11,500.

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On August 26, he broke into another business on John Smith Drive, on the Oxford Business Park, and took items worth £5,000.

His final burglary came on August 30, when he broke into a property in Crescent Road, Cowley, and made off with children’s toys, laptops, jewellery and other belongings worth £3,000.

When he was stopped on November 16, he was found in possession of a small amount of cannabis consistent with personal use.

House burglary carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment. Non-dwelling burglary, where the properties broken into are offices or sheds, the maximum penalty is lower – 10 years’ imprisonment.

However, sentences can vary widely depending on the blameworthiness of the thief and the value of the goods stolen.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward