On Thursday, the Cardiff Crown Court sentenced the burglar, Damian Wojnilowicz, to 22 months of jail for conducting the unusual burglary in Monmouthshire in July.

The court heard how Wojnilowicz broke into the woman's house after she left for work and began carrying out the household chores.

Prosecutor Alice Sykes, prosecuting, said: "This is a very unusual burglary. There had been the consumption of food and alcohol. The victim spoke to her neighbour who said she had seen someone hanging the washing on the line."

The 36-year-old unpacked a pair of shoes and discarded the packaging in the recycling bin. Similarly, he replaced toothbrush heads and kitchen utensils.

He then continued to empty out the grocery shopping bag and placed the items inside the refrigerator, before rearranging the fridge.

Finally, he refilled the bird feeders, rearranged pots plants in her garden, mopped the floors, and hung out the victim’s washing, before cooking himself a meal and having a glass of wine.

Wojnilowicz left the victim a creepy note that read: “Don’t worry, be happy, eat up and scratch,” next to a glass of red wine on the living room table.

Speaking with the BBC, the victim said, “Two weeks after the crime until he was caught, I was living in a state of heightened anxiety I had never experienced before”.

“I wondered if it was somebody who knew me if it was going to turn into a stalking incident if he knew I lived alone and if I had been targeted,” she added.

“I was too scared to stay in my own home and stay with a friend.”

Only weeks later Wojnilowicz carried out a second bizarre burglary at another home on July 29. He was caught when the homeowner received a CCTV alert on his phone showing Wojnilowicz in his driveway.

Wojnilowicz was arrested shortly after.