Courts / Dublin / Report
Sex attack suspect "zigzagged" to avoid street lighting, garda tells trial
Summary
During the trial of Slawomir Gierlowski, a 33‑year‑old man charged with multiple sexual assaults, Garda Niall Kenny testified that he and Garda Brian Campbell responded to a late‑night incident in Clondalkin on 3 September 2015. Kenny described arriving in a patrol car, hearing a muffled scream, and finding a woman bound with black duct tape. He observed a suspect who fled the scene, running in zig‑zag patterns to avoid street lighting, and shouted for help. The suspect was pursued but lost from view. Gierlowski is charged with false imprisonment, assault, and sexual assault against three women at different dates and locations, including a 2016 incident near Naas Road and a 2011 incident. Dr Killian Bates provided a forensic medical report detailing injuries to a 2015 victim, noting possible semen and the suspect's non‑Irish origin, which influenced the decision to prescribe anti‑HIV prophylaxis. The case remains at the trial stage.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Sex attack suspect "zigzagged" to avoid street lighting, garda tells trial. Charges or matters: carrying out attacks on three women over a five-year period; falsely imprisoning and assaulting a woman in September 2016 at a location near Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin; false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a third woman at this same location on September 11, 2011. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 3, 2015 Incident
- September 2016 Incident
- September 11, 2011 Incident
- 2018-02-26 Publication
Why: The assistance of the air support unit was unavailable because of weather conditions on the night. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: carrying out attacks on three women over a five-year period; falsely imprisoning and assaulting a woman in September 2016 at a location near Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin; false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a third woman at this same location on September 11, 2011 (Alleged Or Contested)
Places mentioned
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