Man convicted of four sex attacks maintains innocence, court hears

Woman going home at 3am when Gierlowski attempted to rape her in courtyard of apartment block

A roofer currently serving a lengthy prison term for random attacks on three women continues to maintain his innocence, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Slawomir Gierlowski (34), from Poland, went on trial earlier this year for a separate sex attack on a fourth victim on the night of December 18, 2010.

After hearing evidence Mr Justice Micheal White adjourned the case to Wednesday for sentence.

The court heard that the woman was making her way home at about 3am when Gierlowski assaulted and attempted to rape her inside the courtyard of her apartment block.

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Semen found on the skirt of that victim was linked to Gierlowski through a DNA profile taken from him in June 2016 by gardaí­ in Clondalkin investigating a knife point attack on a woman the previous month.

This DNA profile had matched up with two other DNA profiles retrieved during investigations into separate sexual assaults on women in the Clondalkin area in 2015 and 2011. Gardai from the Bridewell who were investigating the 2010 city centre attack then linked him to that attack.

Gierlowski of Galtymore Drive, Drimnagh, Dublin was convicted last year of carrying out these three attacks. Two of these involved a sexual assault on women walking home after a night out.

At his sentence hearing in 2018, Judge Pauline Codd said those attacks, which involved the use of a leather belt, a hunting knife, duct tape and cable ties, were brutal and primal. She imposed an operative sentence of 18.5 years.

In May of this year Gierlowski went on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the 2010 attack.

The jury of three women and nine men returned unanimous guilty verdicts on charges of sexual assault, attempted rape and assault causing harm on day twelve of the trial after just under three hours of deliberations. Gierlowski had denied all the charges

On Tuesday the court heard that the victim in this case was told she could make a victim impact statement, but she declined on the grounds that she felt the court had already heard from her and she did not want to dwell on the case any longer.

Orla Crowe SC, defending, told the court that her client continues to maintain his innocence on all offences. She said that both the conviction and the sentence of the other matters are currently under appeal.

Ms Crowe said her client is “doing reasonably well” in custody. She said he is on enhanced status and works in the laundry.

Mr Justice Michael White asked Anne Rowland SC, prosecuting, how he is to impose a sentence with regard to the other sentences if they are under appeal. Ms Rowland asked for some time to take instructions on the matter.