One of Devon's most prolific and dangerous voyeurs has been jailed for secretly filming children and women as they slept. Lukasz Grzywna's spent more than a year prowling the streets and videoing females in their homes.
Sometimes he would creep inside and masturbate and on other occasions film through windows or patio doors while they slept. His crimes came to light when a father heard footsteps in his daughter's bedroom and found Grzywna stood by his child.
But it was only after police analysed his phone that the full scale of his disturbing behaviour became clear. In one video he sexually assaulted an unconscious woman in her car. She later told her mum she thought she had been drugged and has since died.
In other videos he stood beside children in their beds and filmed as they slept. He would often zoom-in on unsuspecting women in their homes and could be heard mumbling and working himself up into sexual excitement.
The 30-year-old, from Crediton, was sentenced to nine years and eight months for multiple offences of voyeurism, attempted voyeurism, sexual assault, offering to supply cannabis and trespassing with intent to commit a sexual offences. The judge described him as a "cunning, calculated, sexual predator". For the parents of the child it had been "truly a nightmare experience".
The offences happened over a 14-month period in 2023 and 2024, Exeter Crown Court was told. Prosecutor Brian Fitzherbert said Grzywna started out by filming females on his phone while he peered into the homes from outside. That progressed into entering as a trespasser and filming himself masturbating in the presence of two children.
He was caught when a father, who had locked the doors and stayed up to watch TV until the early hours, entered his daughter's room after hearing noises at 2.30am.
He opened her door and found a man he had never seen before stood near to her. He said: "What are doing? Get out of here." Grzywna "slowly and deliberately" climbed out of the window and left. He was arrested by police loitering in a nearby alley.
He was in possession of an unused condom and a large amount of tissues. His jumper, some ecstasy tablets, a piece of paper with his Snapchat account on it and some tobacco were found on the roof of the house.
Dope-smoking Grzywna lied to police by telling them he was visiting a friend. He then claimed he was a burglar and had no sexual intent. CCTV showed he had walked by the house on four previous evenings.
When police looked at his phone they found he had been in the room for at least an hour. He had recorded himself masturbating as she slept. The phone also revealed it was not his first visit to the room and he must have climbed to reach the window.
In a statement the child's parents said their lives will never be the same and they feared she could have been kidnapped or killed.
Videos from seven other addresses and his car were found on Grzywna's phone. Most were taken through windows of semi-naked women sleeping in bed or on sofas and focusing on their legs, feet and bottoms.
He spied on one woman while she was masturbating. Some of the videos lasted three minutes or more.
In one film he panned around the room of a second child after entering through the window. He filmed her as she slept on several nights. He could be heard breathing heavily while the camera shook.
Four clips featured a woman unconscious slumped against his car door. Grzywna put his hands inside her underwear and sexually assaulted her. He filmed himself nodding in satisfaction and smoking a joint.
In a statement the victim's mum said it broke her heart to discover her daughter had been assaulted. Before she died she told her mum she feared she had been drugged and was anxious about not remembering.
The victim had autism and ADHD but had been doing well in her studies, said her mum.
Zoe Kuyken, defending, said Grzywna, originally from Poland, had been drinking heavily at the time of the offences but was now doing well in prison. He has previous offences for dangerous driving, battery and other driving matters but nothing sexual.
She said he has a sexual interest in sleeping people.
Judge Edward Burgess said: "It hardly needs me to say but this is an extremely serious and worrying case and you have shown yourself through various offences committed over a protracted period of time to be a cunning, calculated, sexual predator."
He said Grzywna pursued his "peculiar and perverted sexual obsessions" with a single-minded determination. The offences were pre-planned. Some of the women are not even aware they were his victims. The judge said "mercifully" the children had not been physically touched and were asleep in the videos.
"I'm in no doubt you are, in very real terms, a highly dangerous individual." The judge imposed an extended sentence, some of which will be served on licence, due to the danger he poses to women and girls. He must also sign the sex offender register for life.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Becky Carvell said: “We welcome the sentence passed down today and my thoughts, as they have been throughout the investigation and court process, are with those affected by Lukasz Grzywna’s actions.
The victims and their families have shown great courage in supporting this prosecution.
“We would encourage anyone who has been subject to similar behaviour to report it. You will be listened to, and you will be believed.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault call 101, or 999 in an emergency or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. For more information on rape and serious sexual assault and the support services available, please visit our support pages by clicking here.
Advice and support is also offered by our partner agencies:
• National Rape Crisis Helpline 0808 802 9999
• Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) 0300 3034626
The Stop It Now charity provides an anonymous helpline for anyone with concerns about child sexual abuse www.stopitnow.org.uk
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