A Dublin man who led gardaí on two separate high-speed car chases has been jailed for four and a half years.
Kacper Koszarski (23) of Eastwood, Ratoth Road, Finglas, Dublin 11 pleaded guilty to 17 charges at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court including four counts of dangerous driving, four of trespass, one of endangerment, four of criminal damage, two of burglary, one of production of a knife and one of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle on dates in 2020 and 2022.
Imposing the sentence on Monday, Judge Elva Duffy said that Koszarski had burgled the homes of people while they were in bed and entitled to feel safe in their own homes.
She imposed consecutive sentences totalling five and half years before she suspended the final year on strict conditions after commenting that it would be of “significant benefit to society” if Koszarski could be rehabilitated.
Judge Duffy ordered Koszarski to engage with the Probation Service for two years upon his release from custody and disqualified him from driving for 10 years.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the homeowners of a property in Maynooth, Co Kildare were woken up by noises in their home at 2.30am on March 13th 2020.
Two sets of car keys were removed from the house, but only one car, a Renault Megane, was taken.
Later that night, the Megane was spotted by gardaí at a checkpoint on the N7/Naas Road travelling at high speed. Gardaí followed the car, which was being driven by Koszarski, and directed it to pull in. However, it did not stop.
Koszarski was driving in an erratic manner, swerving over speed bumps and driving on the wrong side of the road.
The chase ended when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a safety barrier. The two occupants of the car fled on foot but were quickly caught.
He was arrested but said nothing of evidential value during the interview. A balaclava, a wheelbrace and a kitchen knife were found during a search of the car.
Strict conditions
Koszarski's co-accused was the passenger in the vehicle. He pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced separately to three years in prison with the final six months suspended on strict conditions.
The following month, gardaí were called to estates on the Blackhorse Road in Dublin following reports of a male trespasser in a number of gardens who appeared to be trying to break into houses on April 20th.
Gardaí went to one house at 6:50am and saw a male in the house. They knocked on the front door and the male left.
The homeowner answered the front door and identified that some property in the house had been moved. Koszarski was arrested soon afterwards in a nearby garden.
A different homeowner had also been woken up by a bang in the early hours and found a man trying to get into their house through a back door. Koszarski took a knife from his pocket, before leaving the garden.
This injured party found gloves and a different knife by the side of their house. The black-handled kitchen knife Koszarski had been holding was later found in another garden.
Another injured party saw a male trying to open the sitting room window at the front of their house. Koszarski left, and the homeowner noticed damage to the window and the frame.
Koszarski trespassed into a number of gardens of other properties in the area and in some instances, was seen by homeowners attempting to access doors or windows.
In one of these incidents, the homeowner was awoken by a light shining in his bedroom. He checked CCTV and saw a man standing in his side alley. When asked what he was doing, Koszarski replied, he was “going to kill him”.
Nothing of evidential value was obtained during interview.
High speed
On July 5th, 2022, a Toyota Aqua came to the attention of garda as its lights were not on. They indicated for the car to stop, but it didn't and a chase followed, which lasted for around 30 minutes.
The court heard the car's keys were taken during a burglary earlier that evening, but Koszarski is not charged in relation to this.
Koszarski drove the car at high speed during the pursuit including on a section of road where works was taking place endangering construction workers in vehicles and on foot.
The pursuit ended after Koszarski lost control of the car after it struck a roundabout. The car was written off with the insurer making a payment of €11,500 to the vehicle's owner.
A number of traffic signs were also damaged in the collision.
Following arrest, Koszarski was taken to Blanchardstown Garda Station, where he spat on the floor. During the interview, he said he had bought the car for €150, denied any involvement in the burglary and expressed remorse.
One victim impact statement from the homeowners of the property in Maynooth was provided to the court, but not read aloud.
Koszarski has 39 previous convictions including seven for theft.
A bench warrant was issued after he did not appear in court for a trial date last year. He went into custody in December after handing himself in for the warrant to be executed.
The investigating gardaí agreed with Karl Monahan BL, defending, that Koszarski was initially unfit for interview following arrest. It was also agreed that his guilty pleas were of value to the prosecution and the injured parties.
It was further accepted that his previous convictions relate to the District Court and some to when he was a juvenile.
Koszarski said he developed an addiction to tablets but is now drug-free. He said he wishes to engage with drug counselling and education while in custody.
