02.06.2025 15:34
22-year-old Denoora Lyu, who studies at the University of Sydney, and her boyfriend William Qu encountered a stranger who had occupied their home while they were on vacation. When they returned home, they found a man in their apartment wearing only shorts. The intruder had used the couple's belongings, worn their clothes, and made a mess throughout the house.
The student was shocked to find a half-naked stranger wandering around their home when the couple returned from vacation.
The intruder had scattered their belongings everywhere and even wore the couple's clothes.
22-year-old Denoora Lyu, who studies at the University of Sydney, made this surprising discovery when she returned to her apartment with her boyfriend William Qu.
In horror, they found 30-year-old Dylan Patrick Yelkovan wandering around the house wearing only shorts.
The apartment was filled with the man's belongings - he had spread everything across the couch, table, and kitchen counter.
The brazen guest was completely unfazed by the couple's return and didn't even try to escape.
Denoora told 7NEWS: "At first, I thought I had come to the wrong place."
But when she realized she was indeed in her own apartment, panic began to set in.
The student said: "I was really shaken. There was a complete stranger standing in my home, and he wasn't even wearing a shirt. It didn't seem normal. I kept thinking, 'What if he has a knife?' I was afraid of what he might do."
When confronted, Yelkovan calmly gathered his belongings and wandered from room to room as if nothing was wrong.
Eventually, he went out onto the balcony and left the apartment.
Denoora initially thinks he entered from there.
Yelkovan was eventually arrested with the help of the building manager.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment had been rented by the couple's friend, who had gone away for the university summer break.
The couple had planned to use this place as temporary accommodation while searching for their own home for the new term.
Before leaving, Denoora and William had packed their belongings into boxes and left them neatly.
Yelkovan had seized both these boxes and the apartment.
Used Everything
The uninvited guest had rummaged through everything and used whatever he wanted.
Denoora said: "He opened every box and used everything inside, including the desktop computer that wasn't set up at the time. He took out unused spare phones but couldn't access them due to the passwords."
William's clothes had also been targeted.
Yelkovan wore whatever he wanted - some of it was stained with feces.
He even used William's bank card - fortunately, the bank refunded the stolen money.
However, the couple did not get back the $2,000 they spent to have the apartment professionally cleaned and the hotel expenses during that time.
Denoora said: "I had heard stories of theft like this before, but it's still very shocking when it happens to you."
This nightmare was revived when Yelkovan was seen in Sydney in May - he was not in prison as expected.
Court records show that Yelkovan admitted his guilt and was sentenced to nine months in prison under an Intensive Correction Order (ICO) that will last until December 31 for theft.
This means he did not go to jail but is subject to strict restrictions.