Brutal rapist who attacked woman by St Peter's Way at Moses Gate, Farnworth, is jailed for 15 years

Polish-born Lukas Slusarczyk was one of two men who raped the woman in secluded woods off Hall Lane at Moses Gate.

During a trial at Bolton Crown Court a jury heard how the 29-year-old woman was beaten and hit over the head with a log before being raped on the night of April 2, but managed to escape by scrambling up an embankment and flinging herself into oncoming traffic on St Peter’s Way.

Slusarczck was the second man to rape the victim. The prosecution alleged her first attacker was 36-year-old Krystian Bielon, of Cawdor Street, Farnworth, but he claimed he walked away from the woods before the woman was assaulted and he was found not guilty of rape following a trial in September when Slusarczyk was convicted.

At his sentencing hearing yesterday the court heard that Slusarczyk, of no fixed address, maintains he did not rape the woman and that sex was consensual.

But Judge Richard Gioserano criticised the 23-year-old’s attitude.

“You still maintain the absurd and offensive lie that she not only instigated it, but she enjoyed it.

“You have not shown a moment’s remorse for what you did to her.

“She was brutalised, degraded and vulnerable. Rather than show her mercy, you raped her as well.”

During his two-week trial the jury was told how the woman, who is alcohol-dependant, had met Bielon, Slusarczyk and Slusarczyk’s younger brother, Piotr, outside the Shakespeare pub in Farnworth on the evening of April 2.

The woman had no money and so accepted their invitation to go with them to the Premier shop in Bolton Road where Bielon bought vodka and coke.

The woman was reluctant to go back to their home to drink the alcohol, but agreed to accompany them to the woods at Moses Gate.

Judge Gioserano said the woman may have, wrongly, felt safer sitting the open air with them.

He added that he accepted that at that point the men did not intend to rape her, but believed she might have sex willingly with one or more of them.

However, when the woman slapped Bielon after he tried to kiss her, the atmosphere changed.

She was smashed over the head with a log, beaten, had her underwear torn from her and was raped by one of the men.

Judge Gioserano added that the jury must have found the victim was mistaken about the identity of the attacker whom she believed was Bielon.

“She was terrified and rendered senseless and defenceless,” Judge Gioserano told Slusarczyk.

“You watched what that first man did. Her ordeal was not to end. You showed her no mercy – you brutally raped her as well.”

The woman played dead and Slusarczyk started to walk away.

“It is clear to me, having finished with her, you were obviously just intending to leave her there,” said the judge.

The woman, fearing for her life, saw the opportunity to escape. Pursued by one of the men, she scrambled up on to St Peter’s Way and threw herself over a barrier into oncoming traffic where motorists stopped to help her.

“One of those who went to her aid said she looked like she had been hit by a car,” said the judge.

The woman’s physical injuries healed, but her mental scars remain and the judge was told that she was too unwell to attend the sentencing hearing yesterday.

In a victim impact statement read out in court the woman said: “I felt so bad that about two months after this happened I was talking about hanging myself. I am glad I didn’t.

“I am glad about one thing – I made it to the top of that hill and on to the road. Because I did that I still have my life. I really thought I was going to die if I didn’t get out of there.”

The court heard that Slusarczyk has a criminal record in Poland for violence.

Judge Gioserano ruled that Slusarczyk poses a serious risk of harm to the public and passed an extended sentenced comprised of 15 years in prison with a further three years on licence.

He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.