Police hunt for £18,000 tractor swindle fraudster

David Lukac (25, pictured) and 36-year-old partner-in-crime Juraj Szajko were sentenced on Wednesday for what a judge heard was a “sophisticated” £18,000 cross-border swindle committed in July, 2016.

Sjajko was handed a two-year suspended jail term after he admitted fraud on Wednesday at Carlisle Crown Court, but Lukac, of Broad Street, Parkgate, failed to attend and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in his absence after being convicted of fraud after a trial.

Prosecutor Mr Neil Ronan said Slovakian-based farmer Martin Hrvinik had initially spoken online with Szajko, who vowed to source him “the right tractor for the right price in England”.

Mr Hrvinik received photos of a vehicle he was told cost £16,500, despite its real value being £30,000. 

The farmer flew to England on a one-way ticket, before meeting Szajko and Lukac who drove him to the rural Ravenstonedale area of South Cumbria.

He believed a sale had been agreed but in fact the money he transferred through a bank was destined for Lukac’s partner’s account.

The two tricksters drove Mr Hrvinik back to the dealership but then fled, leaving him tractor-less and stranded.

He was eventually returned home thanks to help from the police and the Slovakian Embassy.

After the hearing, a Cumbria police spokesman said police were keen to hear from anyone who knew Lukac’s whereabouts.

Anybody with information should contact Cumbria police on 999 or by email to [email protected].