A burglar with a knife who was tasered while he attempted to chase a woman inside her Gravesend home has been jailed for eight and a half years.
Jacek Gralak’s offending was brought to an abrupt stop by quick-thinking officers, who were responding to reports of an armed man threatening people inside two homes and the street outside.
The 25-year-old, of Kent Road, Gravesend, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary, actual bodily harm and possessing a bladed article.
He was sentenced at the Nightingale Court in Maidstone on Friday 20 August 2021.
Armed burglary
Shortly after 7.45pm on Christmas Eve 2020, a man living at an address in Wrotham Road, Gravesend, went into his front garden to place some rubbish in his skip.
When he re-entered his living room, he found Gralak. Following a brief verbal exchange, Gralak pushed him onto the sofa before lunging at him several times with a knife.
None of the lunges made contact with the victim and the offender then fled the scene on foot.
As Gralak walked towards the junction with Essex Road, he became involved in a second altercation with a different man.
He pulled a knife on the victim and kicked him to the floor, before running away when other members of the public intervened. The offender then forced his way into a nearby property.
Taser discharged
Once inside the Essex Road address, he punched and kicked a man in addition to threatening him with a knife. The male was then able to retreat into a conservatory for safety.
Kent Police officers arrived at the scene while the offence was in progress and ran into the address after hearing cries of distress.
Upon going through the front door, they found a woman running from the kitchen after initially attempting to hold the door shut – to keep Gralak on the other side.
The patrols were able to get themselves between the woman and Gralak before discharging a taser to bring him under control and prevent further harm.
He was taken a local hospital for a precautionary check following his arrest and has since been remanded in custody.
While at the hospital, he attempted to urinate against a wall but was stopped from doing so by a police constable, who Gralak elbowed in defiance. He admitted assaulting the emergency services worker, in addition to the other counts.
Dangerous offender
Detective Constable Helen Cole, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: ‘Gralak inflicted a huge amount of terror upon victims he indiscriminately targeted.
‘His offending was excessively violent, completely senseless and has understandably had a profound impact on the people he threatened and assaulted.
‘He has shown himself to be a highly dangerous man who has absolutely zero regard for anyone else.
‘The officers who were first on scene took quick and decisive action to bring Gralak under control and stop him causing further harm.
‘I am pleased that a strong custodial sentence has now been imposed, and I hope this outcome provides the victims with a degree of closure.’
