Swansea man jailed after violent rape and assault

Nation.Cymru staff

A Swansea man has been jailed for 16 years after raping and violently assaulting a vulnerable woman he had met only hours earlier before stealing her dog.

Dominik Szymanski, 47, of Matthew Street, Waun Wen, was convicted of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a 10-day trial at Swansea Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to theft during the trial.

The court heard Szymanski met the woman in Swansea city centre on September 2, 2025. After spending time together drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis, they went back to his flat.

When the woman refused to have sex with him, Szymanski punched, kicked and dragged her before raping her. CCTV footage later showed him dragging the injured woman from his flat and forcing her into a lift while she was only partially clothed.

He then kept the victim’s dog and attempted to sell it in the days following the attack, although the animal was eventually returned.

During sentencing, Judge Geraint Walters described the case as “disturbing” and said Szymanski had deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman.

The judge said he was satisfied the defendant had seen the victim as “a vulnerable individual who he could take advantage of” and rejected Szymanski’s account of events, describing the complainant as “a most compelling and honest witness”.

The court heard the victim died the day after giving evidence and being cross-examined during the trial. An inquest has yet to determine the cause of her death.

In a statement read to the court by the victim’s mother, she described her daughter as an animal lover who was devoted to her dog and had worked hard to overcome addiction. She said the attack left her daughter “broken” and “in a state of despair”, adding: “In my eyes, his actions killed my child.”

Judge Walters told Szymanski he could not conclude that the victim’s death resulted from the offences or from giving evidence, but said there was no doubt his actions had had “a profound emotional effect” on her.

Sex offenders register

Szymanski was sentenced as a dangerous offender to an extended sentence of 16 years, comprising 12 years in custody followed by a four-year extended licence period. He must serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Claire Davies said the attack had been “prolonged and significant” and welcomed the sentence, adding that she hoped it would reassure victims of sexual offences that offenders would be brought to justice.