Landlord who scammed tenants given 'last chance' by judge
A Polish national whose €28,100 Dublin city centre apartment scam left some foreign nationals living on the streets has had his sentence adjourned again for "one last time" to allow him compensate his 14 victims.
Leszek Mikulski (27) who was given bail last August on condition that he reside at Jamestown Park, Ratoath, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to 14 charges of theft on dates between February and March 2007 at two Dublin city centre apartments on Usher’s Quay and Wellington Quay.
Mr Michael Bowman BL, defending, told Judge Patricia Ryan that the case had been adjourned on a number of occasions to allow his client to get more money together but to date there was still €4,850 outstanding.
He said that when the case was last adjourned two weeks ago, Mikulski was hoping to fully reimburse his victims with help from his independent surety and through a loan that his mother would take out in Poland but neither had been able to organise finance on his behalf.
Mr Bowlan said Mikulski had a poor credit rating due to unpaid phone and credit card bills but he hoped to get a loan with one bank in the coming weeks.
Judge Ryan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court said it was clear that the loss of money to those affected by Mikulski’s crime must have an ongoing effect on them. She said she was very concerned about his victims and added if he could raise the balance it would be of great benefit to them.
She adjourned the case to May next for "one last time" and warned it would be finalised then.
Detective Garda Desmond Rogers told Judge Petria McDonnell when Mikulski applied for bail at a vacation hearing last August that some of his victims had been left living on the streets.
Det Gda Rogers said Mikulski used two different bogus names and contact details on lease agreements for the two apartments. He took a month’s rent in advance and a month’s rent in deposit from each person before handing over keys that weren’t for those apartments.
He said Mikulski was never in a position to lease either apartment which he himself had been renting after signing lease agreements with one of his false names.
Det Gda Rogers agreed with Mr Bowman that Mikulski told him it was never his intention to harm these people and agreed to refund them "if they are out of pocket because of my actions".
He said Mikulski had no previous convictions and had come to Ireland from Poland in 2004. He had trained in the Polish Air Force for three and half years before coming here.
