Man paid €4 deposit for €25k car then drove to Poland

A Polish man who bought a €25,550 BMW from Keary’s in Cork on the strength of a €4,000 deposit actually only transferred €4 to the garage and then took the car home to Poland.

He faced sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for deception.

Detective Garda Patrick Connery said Pawel Orlowski deceived Keary’s garage on May 1, 2021, agreeing to buy a BMW for over €25,000 in a trade in and to transfer a €4,000 deposit and pay the rest in €430 monthly instalments.

Det Garda Connery said the accused told the garage he transferred the €4,000. In fact he transferred €4. And he never paid any monthly instalment.

To make matters worse. the car was damaged in a crash when he drove it at home in Poland.

However, he brought the car back to Keary’s eventually. They were at a loss for a total of €4,000.

Brian Leahy, defence barrister, stated that the defendant’s mother was murdered in Poland in January 22 and that life had been very difficult for the young man.

Judge James McCourt imposed a suspended, one-year sentence on the accused.

“I give you credit for a signed plea.

“That saves considerable time and expense for the State.

“You have had a very positive engagement with the probation service, who provided a very positive report.

“You are described as being a reasonably low risk of reoffending.

“It is understandable that your life was somewhat in a spin following the tragic death of your mother in January 2022.

“It does not condone what you did, but it places it in a context.

“I think you have got your life back on track to some significant degree.”

Garda Jessica Stafford brought the case against Pawel Orlowski, 33, who had an address at Bantry Road, Dunmanway, County Cork.

He admitted a charge of inducing Keary’s of Togher industrial estate to give him a 172-registered BMW by deception, thereby causing them a loss.

Garda Stafford previously testified, “He got the car and never transferred the money.

“He then left the jurisdiction with the vehicle. He left Cork on May 15, 2021.”

Garda Stafford confirmed that the accused man presented himself at the Garda station for the purpose of being charged.

Judge McCourt was told that the car was brought back to the garage.