Hertfordshire Police’s Marcin Zielinski resigned from the force amid the investigation into his theft of Lea-Ann Sullivan’s underwear, carried out during a search of her home
A mum has told of her months of emotional distress after a police officer stole her underwear from her drawer.
Marcin Zielinski, 27, was captured on camera rifling through Lea-Ann Sullivan’s drawer to grab a pair of pants and slip them into his back pocket. The former Hertfordshire Police officer was jailed for four months on Monday after he admitted one charge of theft and a charge of corrupt/improper exercise of police powers and privileges by a constable.
The offence happened on September 12, 2024 and Mrs Sullivan has experienced distress and sleepless nights for nearly one year since. Speaking last night, the mum of two said: “I think I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve been angry. I feel vulnerable, feel scared. I just think I feel sick about the whole situation.
“I’m constantly thinking, what did he want them for? Why did he take them? What’s he going to do with them? How many more people has he done it to?”
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Zielinski quit his role at Hertfordshire Police during the investigation into the theft, which happened when he was carrying out a Section 32 search at a home. During the night of the incident, Mrs Sullivan was arrested in connection with an unrelated matter and was later released with no further action taken.
Cambridge Crown Court heard on Monday how Zielinski brazenly went through the drawer in the bedroom Mrs Sullivan shares with husband Grant. Grant first discovered the ring doorbell footage when his partner was in custody.
And now Mrs Sullivan’s trust for the police is at an all-time low. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she continued: “Once I found out he had taken them, every time I looked into that drawer the video played back in my head… I would never have let him into my home if he was not a police officer and he has completely misused his position and trust to facilitate his own habits.”
Mrs Sullivan said she had to identify her underwear in a police parade in front of other officers. She was shown 15 pairs of knickers said to have been found in Zielinski’s home in Shefford, Bedfordshire – but hers weren’t initially among them.
The horrified mum has since got rid of all her underwear and the chest of drawers as it became a constant reminder of the harrowing video. She believes the sentencing has offered some “closure” but feels as though Zielinski should have received a longer jail term.
“I don’t think [his sentence] is long enough, but I’m all about teaching someone lesson… I do think he does deserve to see the law from the other side. He can’t just have the power trip to get away with it,” Ms Sullivan added.
“What about the people who can’t fight for themselves, that are elderly, that are vulnerable. What if that’s a disabled lady… Or what if he takes it to the next level. Look at Wayne Cousens, he started flashing and he’s killed a lady.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: “Zielinski has let down the public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a whole and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
“His criminal behaviour damages the reputation of policing and represents a fundamental betrayal of the public and the values for which the police service stands.”