Milan Sivak, of Huntly Grove, Peterborough, targeted a ground-floor flat in the city centre in the early hours of 12 January 2020.
The victim woke up at 8am that day and first became aware something wasn’t right when, 18 minutes later, he got a text from his bank saying one of his cards had just been used.
The man then checked his flat for his rucksack – which contained his wallet, £250 in cash, sunglasses and other items – but it had disappeared.
He looked at banking activity on some other cards and discovered they had been used too, totalling a £46 spend.
Police were called and checked CCTV at the stores mentioned in the banking transactions, where images of Sivak, 24, and another man entering the shops were found.
The photos were released as part of a public media appeal to help identify the men, which proved successful.
Sivak was arrested but in a police interview, claimed he was abroad at the time of the offences. He then gave a prepared statement denying any involvement and answered “no comment” to any further questions asked by officers.
However, he was later charged with burglary and fraud by false representation. Sivak appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (5 July) where he was sentenced to a total of one year and 11 months behind bars.
