St. Charles man convicted of sex assault in custody in Hungary

A St. Charles driving instructor, convicted of 16 felony charges after a trial he skipped in April, is in custody in Hungary with the U.S. attempting to extradite him, according to court records.

A jury convicted Paul Bocska, 58, of the 2000 block of Marlowe Boulevard, of four counts of criminal sexual assault and 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on April 22.

His attorney, Liam Dixon, filed court papers May 20 seeking a new trial, stating his client provided medical proof in a May 3 email that he has colon cancer — which was the reason he did not attend his trial.

“It was an error for the court to proceed in absentia,” according to Dixon’s filing.

The request is scheduled for a hearing July 9.

Kliment issued an arrest warrant for Bocska when he failed to show up for his trial April 17. The trial proceeded four days later in his absence.

In a news release from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office, prosecutors said that on multiple occasions in April and May 2021, Bocska sexually abused the victim, and that they knew each other because he was the person’s driving instructor.

Bocska faces up to 15 years in prison if his conviction stands.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, Hungary is among the countries covered by prison transfer treaties. The Department of Justice, the Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago, the state’s attorney’s office and St. Charles police did not immediately respond to requests to confirm whether Bocska is being extradited to the U.S.