Courts / Dublin / Report

Predatory serial sex offender Gierlowski fails to overturn conviction

Date
2026-04-21

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Slawomir Gierlowski, a predatory serial sex offender, failed to overturn his conviction for attempted rape and sexual assault in a Dublin park. Gierlowski, who has a long history of violent and sexual offenses against women, was found guilty of attacking a fourth victim in 2010. His defense argued that the circumstantial evidence against him was weak and that the trial judge improperly influenced the jury. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed these arguments, stating that the weight of the circumstantial evidence was a matter for the jury to decide. The court also rejected claims that the trial judge had improperly charged the jury or that the evidence was too tenuous to be considered. Gierlowski's fingerprints and DNA were found to match evidence from the crime scene, and the court upheld the conviction. The victim was attacked in a secluded part of the park, where the assailant attempted to strangle her and sexually assault her before fleeing the scene.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Predatory serial sex offender Gierlowski fails to overturn conviction. Charges or matters: attempted rape, sexual assault and assault causing harm of a fourth victim on the night of December 18, 2010. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

May 2019 Incident
December 18, 2010 Incident
July 2021 Incident
May 30, 2011 Incident
July 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
2011 and 2016 Incident
2026-04-21 Publication

Case subjects

Slawomir Gierlowski

Background Person

Charges: attempted rape, sexual assault and assault causing harm of a fourth victim on the night of December 18, 2010 (Proven)

Finding: Convicted

Outcome: Convicted; Slawomir Gierlowski, who was jailed for attempting to strangle a woman in a Dublin park, has failed to convince the Court of Appeal that the circumstantial evidence against him was "tenuous" and resulted in an unsafe conviction. In 2018, he was sentenced to 22 and a half years with four years suspended for random outdoor attacks on three women between 2011 and 2016.