'Guilty, guilty, guilty' - Man with 81 previous convictions jailed for theft offences
Mr Kamil Bulczak, of no fixed abode, appeared before Longford District Court on charges of theft and public order
37 year old Kamil Bulczak, who has 81 previous convictions and of no fixed abode, has been sentenced to imprisonment in Castlerea after appearing before Longford District Court on multiple charges of theft and public order.
Addressing the defendant, a Polish national who has been in Ireland 22 years, Judge Bernadette Owens informed him there were three charges before the court under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act, one relating to the Longford Arms Hotel on April 14 this year.
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“You entered the Longford Arms and committed theft…” clarified Judge Owens.
“Yeah,” Mr Bulczak confirmed.
“The same day in Tesco, you also committed a burglary there…” she continued.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“And then the third one is from April 13, you took alcohol to the value of €50…”
“Yeah.”
As Judge Owens asked Mr Bulczak how he intended to plead, he interrupted, “guilty, guilty, guilty!”
Reciting the facts of the matter, Sergeant Fiona Farrell said, “On April 14, Judge, Gardaí received a report of a burglary at the Longford Arms Hotel. Upon viewing CCTV gardai observed two males enter the property through the rear door going into staff only areas including the kitchen, attempting to break into the fridge storeroom and two keg rooms. Gardaí identified one of the two suspects as Kamil Bulzac.”
Sgt Farrell added, "On April 14 2026, two males entered the back yard of Tesco, in Longford Shopping Centre, took an iron bar prized open a mesh wire at the back storeroom and gained entry into the storeroom.”
“They then took groceries from the storeroom and left by opening the shutter door. The value of the goods taken was €182.34."
“Gardaí received a report of a theft at Vaughan’s on April 13. The suspect entered the store, took ten Buzzballs from the fridge and left the store without paying, passed all points of payment. The total value of items taken was €50.”
Sergeant Farrell confirmed Mr Bulczak had been identified on CCTV. Solicitor for Mr Bulczak, Diarmuid Quinn, acknowledged the court’s familiarity with his client and the “very poor record” he carried. He pointed out that he was homeless during this period of offending and that all of his thefts related to alcohol.
Sgt Farrell went on to inform the court that “on March 30 2026 a report of a theft was made at Longford Garda Station. Gardaí obtained a statement from a staff member who identified him as he entered the store. He stole a box of Budweiser bottles to the value of €28.”
The court that on that same date, Gardaí came across Mr Bulzcak on Main Street in Longford in an intoxicated state and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
He was arrested and conveyed to Longford Garda Station. It was while in custody in Longford Garda Station that Mr Bulzcak urinated in the cell incurring a €250 cleaning fee.
Sgt Farrell went on to state that on January 13 at Holland and Barrett in Tesco, Longford Shopping Centre, the suspect entered the store and took gut health tablets worth €33.79.
The sgt added, “He made no effort to pay. The suspect was identified by the store manager who obtained a photograph of him as he left the store.”
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On Feb 21 this year, Gardaí found Mr Bulczak on Main Street. He was “very abusive and highly intoxicated, stumbling on his feet.” He was subsequently charged.
Almost a month later, March 19, Gardai again arrested and charged Mr Bulczak when they arrived on Ballymahon Street and found him “highly intoxicated.”
Sgt Farrell said he appeared to be a danger to himself and others, falling off a footpath and in front of traffic. He became highly aggressive towards Gardai upon arrest and lashed out at them on several occasions.
He was eventually restrained but remained highly aggressive. There were also two more thefts from Vaughan’s shop, namely €137.50 of alcohol on March 2 and €50 worth of alcohol on March 12. The total value of the thefts came to €682.63, while the criminal damage came to €250.
Addressing the court, Solr Quinn said it seemed Mr Bulzac, a father of two, “had lost all control of himself and what he was doing.”
He added, “he has been in custody since April 4 and that had a stabilising effect on him. He is taking his meds, he has a roof over his head and he’s getting food. He has gone from a situation where he was homeless to having some structure in prison. Obviously that’s not the function of the prison service and he’s anxious to get rehabilitation in the proper format. He’s in the gym in Castlerea Prison, and waiting to get a sentence today so he can get back to work - when he was in custody previously, he worked as an industrial cleaner in the prison so he’s hoping to get back to that again.”
Judge Owens gave Mr Bulzak credit for going into custody however she added that she had to take into account his similar previous convictions and the fact that there were offences committed while on bail. She sentenced him to 5 months in prison.
She added, “In respect of Garda Mulheir's public order offences, Mr Bulzcak when in the throes of his addiction has been very aggressive so I have to mark a sentence in respect of one of the public order matters, again committed while on bail.”
“Mr Bulzcak is convicted and sentenced to a period of 4 months in prison which is consecutive to the sentence on Garda Connaughton’s sheet (thefts).”
“Noting what you said about Mr Bulzcak getting into residential treatment and in respect of Garda Doherty’s sheet (theft and public order), Mr Bulzcak is convicted and sentenced to 5 months in prison which I am suspending for 8 months on his own bond of €200. Other matters taken into consideration,” Judge Owens concluded.