Man who recorded himself as he raped a woman in her Rugby home has been jailed

A man who recorded himself as he raped a woman in her Rugby home has been jailed for 11 years.

Bartosz Sokolowski had pleaded not guilty to raping the woman – but a jury at Warwick Crown Court took less that 90 minutes to find him guilty by a unanimous verdict.

Jailing Sokolowski (37) of Shooters Close, Birmingham, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him he will have to serve two-thirds of the 11-year sentence before he can be released.

Sokolowski, who was found not guilty of sexual assault and assault by beating, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Prosecutor Talbir Singh had told the jury the case was about Sokolowski ‘imposing his violent and sexual will’ on his victim ‘in an unwanted fashion.’

Sokolowski alleged in court that the rape allegation had been fabricated by the woman and her friend after he claimed he had rejected her advances towards him.

But the jury heard that after the incident Sokolowski had subjected her to degradation by sending her text messages in which he revealed that he had recorded what had happened.

Following the guilty verdict, Mr Singh said the woman had made a statement in which she said it took her six months before she could begin her life again.

Ian Windridge, defending, said: “There is no evidence that he recorded the incident, but he told her he had, so one has to assume there was a recording.”

And he added that Sokolowski had no previous convictions and was ‘a man who is capable of hard work,’ with an ex-partner and two children in Poland.

Jailing Sokolowski, Judge Lockhart told him: “We start, as we must, with the victim of your offending. She speaks of it being difficult to come to terms with what you did to her.

“She had to come here and have it put to her by counsel instructed by you that she had told lies and that she and her friend had fabricated the account, and even that she had been injured by her friend.”

Of the incident, the judge said: “On that night you behaved in a very dangerous manner. There was degradation and humiliation. I find you recorded the events, just as you said you did in the texts.

“In those texts we see what you now can’t admit, because you don’t have the guts to admit it, that you were sorry because you had raped her.”

After the case, Investigating officer, Det Con Matthew Kandt from Rugby CID, said: “Understandably, this has been a very traumatic for the victim and she has shown great bravery. I'd like to thank her for her courage and assistance throughout the investigation, and I'd also like to thank the team of officers and staff who worked on this case.

"Sololowski has now been convicted of this appalling crime and will face justice for his actions, and I hope this will help to give the victim some sense of closure.

"I hope this conviction will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offences, and give them the confidence to report their ordeal in the knowledge that they will be listened to and supported. Police will always investigate and will do everything in their power to bring offenders to justice.”