Four traffickers have been locked up for a combined total of over 27 years at Leeds Crown Court today. After a decade-long investigation, detectives brought down a cruel prostitution ring operating under the guise of legitimate jobs.
Polish Couple Exploited Vulnerable Women
Wieslaw Michniewicz and Aleksandra Timoszek, a married couple living in Leeds, lured young women—mostly from Poland—with fake promises of jobs as childminders, bar staff, or shop assistants. Some victims even thought they were coming to the UK for romance with Michniewicz.
Instead, the women were forced into prostitution, working up to 20 hours daily, seven days a week. All their earnings went straight to the couple’s pockets. The pair lived on Willow Avenue, Burley, and ruthlessly controlled their victims.
Family Members Aided the Operation
Michniewicz’s cousin, Mariusz Seretny of Hunslet, played a key role, organising travel bookings, posting ads on sex work sites, and funnelling money abroad. His wife, Marta Seretny, also supported the prostitution network.
Guilty Verdicts and Heavy Sentences
The four were charged with modern slavery and prostitution offences in February 2023. Michniewicz and Timoszek fled but were tracked down, extradited, and remanded until trial. In December 2025, the jury found them all unanimously guilty.
- Michniewicz received 15 years behind bars
- Timoszek got 7½ years
- Mariusz Seretny was jailed for five years
- Marta Seretny got a 12-month community order plus 80 hours of unpaid work
The court slammed the defendants for their “callous exploitation” of vulnerable women, ending a decade of cruelty with justice served.
