Saturday, August 22, 2009

Pole appears on TV to deny rape attack

A CONVICTED Polish rapist has appeared on TV in his home country to deny attacking a Westcountry woman – a crime for which he is serving a double life sentence.

Jakub Tomczak, 24, raped a woman and left her unconscious and seriously injured under a van in Redlands Close, Whipton, Exeter, in 2006.

He was given two life sentences in January 2008, to be served in his native country.

Tomczak, speaking from his prison cell in Poland, claimed he had nothing to do with the brutal assault which left his victim seriously injured. The TV broadcast has also been streamed across the Internet, with a video clip of Tomczak talking about the night of the rape and his conviction.

During the interview, Tomczak claims that:


He had never met the victim until he was charged with rape and brought to court

Police rushed the case through because they had a suspect

He would not wish rape on anyone.

At his trial in Exeter, Tomczak was told he must serve a minimum of nine years before he could be considered for parole.

A student at the time of the attack, he was living in Monks Road, Polsloe, Exeter.

In the TV footage, smiling as he talks to the woman interviewer, Tomczak said: "I didn't rape the woman – I didn't know her. I only saw her one time and that was in court on the last day of the proceedings."

Speaking about the night of the rape, Tomczak said he remembered the city being empty as he walked home.

"I was drinking with friends and I went back to the hotel that I was working at to pick up some cigarettes," he said.

"I then went straight to my home about 2am or 3am. The city was empty. You can see all of this on the CCTV recordings.

"I wasn't drunk – I drank about two to three beers."

Tomczak told how he later returned to Poland where he received a call from his sister telling him that Exeter police wanted a DNA test from him.

He said: "I went to a Polish solicitor straight away and then went to the Polish police to have a DNA test taken.

"I went to a solicitor as I was afraid the UK police would not give me a fair trial. My solicitor said they were taking the DNA to eliminate me, not to accuse me.

"The UK police found my sperm on the woman but no fingerprints or blood.

"I am still pleading not guilty. The UK police wanted to close the case quickly as they had a suspect."
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