Lying woman who claimed to have terminal cancer jailed after Leeds judge told her it 'backfired'
A judge has jailed a woman who claimed she had terminal cancer to get a lighter sentence after she took part in a violent house robbery.
Malgorzata Holdynska admitted the robbery, but at Leeds Crown Court Judge Ray Singh told her attempts to secure leniency had “backfired”.
The 31-year-old appeared last month for sentencing, but Judge Singh questioned her cancer claim, saying he wanted documentary evidence.
Holdynska said she had lost her hospital letter, so the case was adjourned for further details to be obtained.
Returning to court, it was confirmed that she had lied about the diagnosis, but had undergone cancer-screening tests.
Judge Singh said he had sympathy, but told her: “I was being told you were terminally ill, dying of cancer.
“It wasn’t right, and you knew that. It was to court some sympathy with myself to take a more lenient view.
“I’m afraid it backfired.”
The court heard that Holdynska had been invited by the robbery victim to stay at a house on Ivy Close on Wakefield’s Eastmoor estate.
On the evening of July 13 last year, the man went to sleep but was woken by Holdynska entering the room and demanding he hand over his phone.
He had just bought the £300 device from Argos that day.
Despite repeated demands, he refused to hand it over and she left the room after 15 minutes.
She then returned with another male who was known to the victim, and who had loaned the victim a power bank previously, but never got it back.
He told the victim, who was still in his bed, that he wanted the power bank back or £100 compensation, or he would “shoot the victim’s mother”, prosecutor Jordan Millican told the court.
Holdynska and the man then both started attacking the victim, kicking and punching him to the face and body.
He was also dragged around the room before they took the phone from him and left.
Holdynska, of Hastings Avenue, Wakefield, was arrested but gave a no-comment interview.
She continued to deny the robbery but changed her plea after a trial date had been set.
She has one previous conviction for acquiring criminal property.
Mitigating, Samreen Akhtar said Holdynska was now in full-time employment as a warehouse worker, was in a relationship and wanted to compensate the victim.
She said: “She accepts it must have been extremely scary for the victim, she wishes to apologise through me.”
Judge Singh jailed Holdynska for 34 months.
The court heard that the man involved in the robbery remains at large.