Disgruntled Labourer Smashes Boss's Grade II-Listed Home and Car With Traffic Cone Over Docked Wages

A labourer has been jailed after CCTV showed him smashing his employer's Grade II-listed home and car with a claw hammer and traffic cone during a dispute over docked wages.

Lucasz Dabrowski, 27, was sentenced to 17 months in prison after admitting two offences of criminal damage, burglary and assaulting a police constable. The attack unfolded at the home of Abrar Mohammed in Fort Crescent, Margate, where Dabrowski had been helping with renovation work and had also been allowed to stay.

The property sits within a Grade II-listed terrace, meaning the damage involved not only a private home but part of a protected historic building. Historic England records show several terraces along Fort Crescent are Grade II listed.

Traffic Cone Used to Smash Windows

Footage from 4 May showed Dabrowski wielding a claw hammer as he smashed the front bay windows of the house. He then picked up a traffic cone from the garden, walked into the property and hurled it back through another window, according to court reports.

Moments later, he went back outside and turned on Mohammed's Hyundai i800 parked in the street. Prosecutors said he walked around the vehicle using the traffic cone to smash its windows, leaving broken glass scattered across the road. The attacks caused more than £14,000 in losses.

Wage Row Sparked Anger

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Dabrowski had become angry after money was deducted from his wages to cover rent. The court was told Mohammed had allowed him to stay at the property, but the house lacked heating, hot water and other basic amenities.

Dabrowski believed he had been exploited and later told probation officials he had 'lost the plot', Recorder Duncan Atkinson KC said during sentencing. The judge told him that grievance had led him to behave in an 'utterly disgraceful way' on more than one occasion.

First Rampage Came Days Earlier

The 4 May attack was not the first time Dabrowski damaged the property. Police had been called at around 10.30pm on 1 May after reports that sash windows were being smashed from inside the house and items were being thrown out.

When officers arrived, Dabrowski was on external scaffolding and had to be negotiated down. That first incident caused about £5,000 worth of damage, the court heard. He was arrested, released on bail and returned three days later for the second wrecking spree.

Victim Feared Anger Could Turn Violent

In a victim impact statement, Mohammed said he was left 'extremely worried' that Dabrowski might shift his anger from the property to him personally. He also said their working relationship had been destroyed, though he expressed hope that Dabrowski would 'get the help needed'.

The court heard Dabrowski had previous convictions, including for criminal damage, racially aggravated assault and harassment, but had spent his first nine years in the UK living lawfully before becoming involved in substance misuse. His lawyer, Natasha Spreadborough, said he hoped to return to Poland for a fresh start.

Dabrowski will serve up to half of his 17-month sentence before release on licence, followed by 12 months of supervision. He was also handed a two-year restraining order banning direct or indirect contact with Mohammed. No compensation order was made.