Man kicks, drags and rapes woman and then steals dog | UK | News
A man in Wales has been jailed for raping a woman who refused to have sex with him, South Wales Police said. Dominik Szymanski, 47, of Swansea, punched, kicked and dragged the victim at his flat in Matthew Street on September 2, 2025. He had first met the victim on the day of the attack.
The court heard the woman was found dead the day after the victim gave evidence and was cross-examined. There is an investigation with the cause of death yet to be determined. Szymanski was convicted in May of rape, assault causing actual bodily harm and burglary. He has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison and will be on the sex offenders register for life.
Szymanski initially denied rape and assault, claiming that no sexual activity occurred because he was unable to maintain an erection. reports Wales Online.
He kept the victim’s dog and arranged to sell it in the days after the attack. However, the woman was eventually reunited with her pet.
In the statement read by the victim’s mother to the court, it was heard that her daughter was an animal lover who was devoted to her dog.
The mother said her daughter appeared “broken” and “hopeless” after her beloved friend was raped and stolen, and that it was only after the dog’s safe return that her daughter began to think about herself and what had happened to her.
The mother said her daughter worked hard to combat addiction issues, dreamed of traveling to far-off places and made a list of things she wanted to do in life.
The mother said that no matter what the court decides, she believes Szymanski’s actions led to her daughter’s relapse into drugs and her death.
He said: “In my eyes, his actions killed my child.”
Judge Geraint Walters described the case as “disturbing”, adding that Szymanski saw the woman as a “vulnerable individual that he could take advantage of” and was intent on having sex with her.
The judge said he found the complainant “a very convincing and honest witness” despite his difficulties with drink and drugs over the years.
Detective Constable Claire Davies said his victim “had little means of defending himself”.
He added: “This was a sustained and significant attack by a truly despicable criminal on a defenseless woman who had no means of defending herself.
“This sentence sends a very positive message to victims of sexual abuse that they will be believed, their attackers will be identified and brought to justice.
“Although the victim could no longer see justice served for him in court, this outcome was a huge relief to his family and friends; they saw that Dominik Szymanski was held accountable for his actions and properly punished.”
