A woman who was raped and beaten before being dumped in a lift died the day after giving evidence against her attacker, a court has heard. Dominik Szymanski had met his vulnerable victim in Swansea city centre and took her back to his flat where he raped and assaulted her before dragging her out of the property half-naked and 'hurling' her into the lift. The defendant kept hold of the woman's dog and arranged to sell it.
Conviction and Sentencing
Szymanski denied rape and assault, saying no sexual activity took place and no sexual activity could have taken place as he was incapable of maintaining an erection. The 47-year-old was convicted of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a 10-day trial at Swansea Crown Court. He was given a 16-year extended sentence as a dangerous offender, comprising 12 years in custody followed by a four-year licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element in prison before he can apply for release, and he will be a registered sex offender for life.
Victim's Death After Testimony
The court heard that the day after the victim gave evidence and was cross-examined, she was found dead. An inquest is yet to establish a cause of death. Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant: 'I cannot say she took her own life as result of what you did. I cannot say she took her own life because of the experience she was subjected to – on your instructions – in the witness box. But the timing is particularly sad. What I can say is that what you did to her had a profound emotional effect on her.'
Details of the Attack
The court heard that the defendant and the complainant met on Swansea's High Street on September 2 last year. Both had their dogs with them and they began talking, drinking, and smoking cannabis before going back to Szymanski's nearby flat. At the flat, the defendant subjected his victim to violence and raped her during the prolonged incident. He was subsequently caught on CCTV in the block of flats dragging the 'stupefied' woman out of the flat and 'hurling' her into a lift. The court heard the woman believed she had been 'spiked' but that samples were not taken in time to allow tests to be done.
Impact on the Victim
Szymanski kept his victim's dog and in the days after the incident arranged to sell it, though the woman was eventually reunited with her pet. In a statement read to the court by the victim's mother, she described how her daughter was an animal lover who was devoted to her dog. She described how when she saw her daughter after the rape and theft of her beloved companion she looked 'broken' and 'in a state of despair', and said it was only after the safe return of the dog that her daughter began thinking about herself and what had happened to her. The mum said her daughter had worked hard to tackle her addiction issues and that she dreamt of travelling to distant places and had drawn-up a bucket list of things she wanted to do in life. The mother said regardless of what any court may find, she believed that the actions of Szymanski led her daughter to returning to drugs and to her death. She said: 'In my eyes, his actions killed my child'.
Defendant's Background
Dominik Szymanski, of Matthew Street, Dyfatty, Swansea, had previously been convicted by a jury of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and had pleaded guilty – a week into his trial – to theft when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He has previous convictions for battery and criminal damage – an assault on a former partner which saw him pushing his victim down steps after begging her to take him back before attacking her car – and a battery and an assault on a police officer which saw him repeatedly kicking a man as he lay on the ground and then pushing the constable who arrested him.
Judge's Remarks
Dyfed Thomas, for Szymanski, said it was accepted that alcohol and cannabis had been taken by both parties on the day in question, and he invited the court to find that alcohol hadn't been used to facilitate the commission of the offences. He said while the complainant believed she had been 'spiked', the necessary samples had not been taken in order for testing to be done. Judge Geraint Walters said on any view, the facts of the case were 'disturbing'. He said having heard all the evidence at trial he was satisfied that Szymanski had seen the woman as a 'vulnerable individual who he could take advantage of', and that he had set his mind to having sex with her. The judge said he found the complainant to be a 'most compelling and honest witness' despite her difficulties over the years with drink and drugs, and said he doubted if anything the defendant had said in the witness box during the trial had been true.
