Trafficking and prostitution charges

A 33-year-old man charged with human trafficking and organising prostitution will have to lodge €6,000 in order to be released on bail.

Bakery worker Grzegorz Grzyb, a Polish national, of Virginia Heights, Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin 24, was arrested on Tuesday night at Dublin Airport.

He was brought to Store Street Garda Station and charged yesterday with two offences. He is accused of taking a named female under his control for the purpose of sexual exploitation between September 1 and 11, 2012, contrary to the Criminal Law Human Trafficking Act 2008.

The second charge, under the Sexual Offences Act, alleges that from March 3, 2012, until October 25, 2012, at an address in Tallaght, he controlled or directed the activities of prostitution or compelled or coerced a person to be a prostitute.

Garda Lorna Cox of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau told Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court Mr Grzyb’s reply to the first charge was “that is rubbish”.

He answered “these are lies” when the second charge was put to him. She saidthat she had no objection to bail subject to a number of conditions including a requirement to lodge €6,000.

Defence solicitor Niall O’Connor told the judge his client has lived in Ireland for nine years and has been working full-time with an income of about €360 a week. The accused has just €300 in savings and had just returned from a trip to Poland to visit his child and his ex-wife. Mr Grzyb’s passport has been seized by gardaí.

Judge Halpin set bail at €6,000 and ordered that the accused must not apply for a new passport and has to notify gardaí of any change of address. He will have to sign on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at his local Garda station.

The defendant has not yet formally indicated how he will plead. Free legal aid was granted. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cloverhill District Court on November 23.