Lavish life-style of Polish couple who trafficked women from Europe as younger as 17 and compelled them into prostitution is revealed as they’re jailed

A married Polish couple pressed European women as younger as 17 into vile intercourse work and spent the proceeds on a ‘lavish life-style’and luxurious automobiles.

Wieslaw Michniewicz, 53, and his youthful spouse, Aleksandra Timoszek, 32, lived in Leeds and invited younger ladies to the UK, promising them reliable work, however then had been made to work as prostitutes.

The couple focused weak ladies, primarily from Poland. They had been advised that they had jobs ready for them as childminders or in native bars or outlets in the event that they made the transfer.

But after they arrived within the UK, they had been advised that they had a debt to repay and had been pressured into intercourse work.

Their youngest sufferer was simply 17 years outdated and was put to work as a prostitute in a brothel the day after her 18th birthday.

The ladies had been pressured to work as much as 20 hours a day, seven days every week, having intercourse with shoppers for cash.

These ladies didn’t see any of the cash that they had earned however as an alternative it was handed to the couple for his or her supposed money owed.

Michniewicz and Timoszek took the money and spent it residing a lavish life-style, driving costly sports activities automobiles, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Wieslaw Michniewicz, 53, was sentenced to fifteen years in jail for contemporary slavery and controlling prostitution offences

Aleksandra Timoszek, 32, was sentenced to seven and a half years in jail alongside along with her husband this Friday at Leeds Crown Court

They had been supported of their intercourse ring by Michniewicz’s cousin, Mariusz Seretny, 45, and spouse, Marta Seretny, 41, the courtroom heard, who had been residing at Grange Close, Hunslet. 

The couple had been arrested on September 14, 2016, on suspicion of offences regarding trendy slavery after a ‘advanced and painstaking investigation’ by specialist detectives at West Yorkshire Police, spanning a decade.

Several ladies had been found at their home on Willow Avenue, together with three luxurious sports activities automobiles – a Porsche Panamera, a Porsche Carrera and an Audi R8. These had been seized from the couple, together with £16,000 money.

The couple had made round £170,000 in money from the prostitution of their trafficking victims, handwritten ledgers present in a protected revealed. Details of the sizeable debt every sufferer confronted had been additionally logged right here

Michniewicz, Timoszek and Mariusz Seretny had been discovered responsible of recent slavery and controlling prostitution offences and jailed for a complete of 27.5 years between them on Friday. Marta Seretny was given a group order.

There had been 14 victims recognized within the investigation – aged between 17 and 31.

Some ladies had been thought of unsuitable by the couple after they arrived within the UK so had been despatched again to Poland, whereas one other had develop into suspicious and refused to journey to the nation.

Masses of proof was present in social media messages – greater than 1,000 pages of it had been translated from Polish to English. There had been journey bookings for flights and erries in addition to telephones with messages, pictures and movies in addition to passport particulars of victims.

Their Leeds house was raided by police on their arrests in 2016 the place a number of luxurious automobiles had been found – a Porsche Panamera, a Porsche Carrera and an Audi R8

Michniewicz’s cousin Mariusz Seretny was jailed for 5 years for supporting the couple in working their intercourse ring

Receipts of cash being transferred overseas had been additionally discovered on the couple’s house and CCTV footage from the home displaying the victims being pushed off by Michniewicz and Timoszek each day.

Detectives maintained contact with the victims all through the investigation and lots of of them returned to Poland following the arrests of Michniewicz and Timoszek.

Polish authorities had been additionally introduced in to assist the victims throughout borders, facilitated by Europol.

The 4 conspirators had been charged with trendy slavery and controlling prostitution offences in February 2023, however each Michniewicz and Timoszek fled the nation.

The pair had been tracked down and extradited again to the UK and had been remanded in custody till their trial, which started at Leeds Crown Court in November 2025.

The jury returned unanimous responsible verdicts in opposition to all 4 defendants on December 18, 2025.

Michniewicz, Timoszek and Mariusz Seretny had been every convicted of conspiracy to rearrange or facilitate the journey of one other particular person with a view to exploitation; conspiracy to incite one other particular person to develop into a prostitute for achieve; conspiracy to regulate prostitution for achieve; and two counts of controlling prostitution for achieve in relation to 2 particular person victims.

Marta Seretny was discovered responsible of 1 rely of conspiracy to regulate prostitution for achieve.

Police discovered CCTV footage from the home displaying the victims being pushed off by Michniewicz and Timoszek each day

The jury returned unanimous responsible verdicts in opposition to all 4 defendants

Police discovered £16,000 in money after they arrested the couple together with a number of ladies and the luxurious automobiles that had been purchased with the proceeds of their prostitution ring

Michniewicz was sentenced to fifteen years’ jail, with Timoszek, given a time period of seven-and-a-half years.

Mariusz Seretny was jailed for 5 years, and Marta Seretny was sentenced to a 12-month group order with 80 hours of unpaid work and 5 rehabilitation days.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Helen Steele mentioned: ‘The victims have every suffered harrowing experiences and have been left understandably traumatised by the ordeals they had been put by way of.

‘We hope that it’s going to assist them not directly to know that these accountable have now been dropped at justice.

‘Modern slavery offences are actually abhorrent, and we stay completely dedicated to doing every little thing we will to focus on these concerned.

‘This is a criminal offense that’s usually hidden in plain sight, and we’d urge members of the general public to report any suspicions they’ve that such a exploitation is happening to us instantly.’