Man jailed for life for murder of man who was guarding prostitutes

Przemyslaw Trebacz, a 35-year-old Polish national from Killynebber in County Cavan, has been sentenced to life imprisonment following his conviction for murder at the Central Criminal Court. Trebacz was found guilty by majority jury verdict of ten to two in the killing of Costel Catalin Cretu, a 38-year-old Romanian man, at Connolly Court in Cavan town between October 13 and 14, 2012. The offence occurred over a decade ago but the case proceeded through trial and sentencing in late 2013 and early 2014. The deceased had been present at the apartment to supervise workers engaged in sex work. Prosecution evidence established that Trebacz, alongside another individual, gained entry to the premises and departed within minutes. CCTV evidence corroborated this brief timeframe. Mr Cretu sustained two stab wounds, with injuries to both chest and back proving fatal. He died at the scene. Trebacz had maintained his innocence regarding the murder charge, though he pleaded guilty to criminal damage relating to damage caused to a door at the location. The prosecution case presented to the jury alleged that the accused attended the apartment with intent to commit robbery with a weapon. The defence raised contentions of self-defence and provocation, with defence counsel querying the absence of fingerprint evidence and challenging certain witness testimony regarding what could be observed within the apartment layout. Mr Justice Michael White imposed the mandatory life sentence in February 2014. A three-year custodial sentence attached to the criminal damage conviction was suspended. During sentencing, the judge acknowledged a victim impact statement provided by the deceased's brother, noting the substantial effect of the death upon the victim's family. Trebacz subsequently appealed his conviction, with the Court of Appeal in 2019 dismissing the appeal and upholding the verdict as safe.