A MAN who raped a woman after tying her boyfriend up with rope and duct tape has been given five life sentences by Mr Justice Peter Charleton at the Central Criminal Court.
Edward Piotrowski (45), Clonmullen Hall, Edenderry, Co Offaly, originally from Poland, told the woman during the 2½-hour ordeal that he was going to kill her, her partner and his daughter.
Mr Justice Charleton described the attack on the couple, in which she was sexually assaulted in front of her boyfriend before she was taken to another room and raped and forced to perform oral sex, as the “most grievous sexual assault I have ever come across in my career”.
He registered Piotrowski as a sex offender but when asked to consider post-release supervision by Fergal Foley, prosecuting, he said he did not intend for the former army officer to ever be released.
He described the offence as one that “beggars belief, astonishing and horrible”. He said the victim impact reports, which were not read out in court, made harrowing reading and proved the long-lasting effects Piotrowski’s crimes had on the couple.
Mr Justice Charleton said Piotrowski had behaved in an “insane way” and had gathered together information before going to the couple’s home with the equipment to tie them up.
He sentenced Piotrowski to five concurrent life sentences for the false imprisonment of the woman, the three sexual assaults and the rape.
Piotrowski was also jailed for other concurrent terms of 10, five and 10 years for the aggravated burglary and the assault and false imprisonment of the man.
Piotrowski had been convicted by a jury last October of rape and oral rape of the woman on November 25th, 2007.
Piotrowski was also found guilty by the jury of entering the house as a trespasser while armed with a bladed weapon and a weapon capable of discharging a noxious liquid gas, false imprisonment of both the woman and her boyfriend, aggravated sexual assault and raping the woman with a vibrator on the same date.
He pleaded guilty on the day of his trial to assault causing harm to the man on the same date.
Mr Foley told the court that this was a very well organised and planned attack on the couple and that Piotrowski had been annoyed about the new relationship the man and woman had formed because he had “unrequited love” for her.
Det Insp Pat Murray told Mr Foley that the woman recognised Piotrowski and was later able to identify him to gardaí.
Padraic Dwyer, defending, said his client wished to apologise to the man for assaulting him but said he still denied any kind of sexual assault ever took place.
Mr Justice Charleton addressed the woman and thanked her for having the courage to give evidence in a court.