Fingerprints found on duct tape belong to man who allegedly attacked three women in Dublin, court hears
By Sonya McLean
The trial of a man charged with carrying out random attacks on three women has heard that his fingerprints were found on duct tape left at one of the crime scenes.
Slawomir Gierlowski (33) of Galtymore Road, Drimnagh, denies attacking the women on dates in 2011, 2015 and 2016 at locations around Clondalkin in south Dublin. The women cannot be named for legal reasons.
On day 11 of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Detective Garda Conor Kiely from the fingerprint section of the Garda Technical Bureau, said he developed three marks from grey masking tape found in Knockmeenagh Lane, the scene of one attack in May 2016.
Detective Garda Kiely told Roisin Lacey SC, prosecuting, that six months later he pulled out a set of fingerprints bearing Mr Gierlowski's name from the national database. He then compared these with the marks he had previously developed from the tape.
“In my expert opinion, one mark on the grey masking tape was made by the left forefinger of the accused and a second mark on the tape was made by his right ring finger,” Detective Garda Kiely told Ms Lacey.
Detective Garda Kiely told Orla Crowe SC, defending, that he was not in a position to age the fingerprint marks.
Greg Bykowski told Gerardine Small BL (with Ms Lacey), that he employed Mr Gierlowski to work with his roofing company from August 2014 to March or April 2016.
He said he found Mr Gierlowski to be honest and hard-working, adding that he wouldn't have employed him otherwise. He outlined the usual working hours as being Monday to Friday or Saturday, between 6.30am and 7pm.
Mr Bykowski confirmed that he received a text from the accused at 6.34am on September 3, 2015, the morning of one of the alleged attacks.
He agreed with Ms Small that the text, translated from Polish into English read: “Hello what's up Greg, I will not be able to come to work today, I must have ate something bad, I spent half the night on the toilet puking etc....sorry.”
Mr Gierlowski has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault.
The trial previously heard evidence from the three alleged victims in the case.
One woman said that on May 16, 2016, a man armed with a hunting knife attacked her as she was walking along Knockmeenagh Lane to the nearby Luas stop.
She testified that she thought the man was going to slit her throat and she grabbed the blade to stop that happening, causing the knife to cut tendons in three of her fingers.
The trial also heard from another woman that in Clondalkin on September 3, 2015, a man put a leather belt around her neck and knocked her to the ground. The man then wrapped duct tape around her face and hands and sexually assaulted her.
The third complainant said that in Clondalkin on September 11, 2011, she was punched several times and sexually assaulted.
The trial continues before Judge Pauline Codd and a jury of 11 men.
