Shoplifter at risk of being sent to prison after stealing headphones

A 21-year-old shoplifter is at risk of being sent to prison after stealing headphones from a shop in Lynn.

Oskar Charewicz, of Woolstencroft Avenue in Lynn, admitted to stealing the headphones worth £120 at the town’s magistrates court in a hearing on Thursday.

Magistrates decided that their sentencing powers were not sufficient to punish Charewicz, who was in breach of a nine-month suspended sentence order given in April for a drug-related offence.

He was also given a conditional discharge for shoplifting in January this year.

Prosecutor Nicola Lamb said that on June 19, staff at Lynn’s HMV observed Charewicz looking at headphones and trying to break a security tag on a box.

He was challenged by staff about this and handed it over to them. However, unknown to the staff at the time, Charewicz had managed to hide a pair of headphones and left the store.

By committing this offence, Charewicz is in breach of the suspended sentence order, which means he is at risk of going to prison.

In mitigation, George Sorrell explained that Charewicz moved to the UK from Poland in 2011 and has faced difficulties.

“You are required to activate that sentence unless it’s unjust to do so. It might be unjust to impose a prison sentence,” said Mr Sorrell.

“He has a somewhat chaotic lifestyle and experiences. He had a difficult childhood, his mother died, that is an obvious blow to him. His brother and he were left fending for themselves.

“His father was in court for child neglect in 2016 and has since been deported back to Poland.”

Mr Sorrell explained that Charewicz has since left foster care and has been left to “fend for himself” and is living in YMCA accommodation.

“He said he was embarrassed to be here, he stole those headphones to get some money and help him get by.”

Charewicz was committed for sentence at Norwich Crown Court with a date yet to be decided.

He was released on conditional bail with orders not to go to HMV in Lynn.