A man has been jailed after he crept into a stranger's bedroom and raped her after noticing she'd accidentally left her keys in the front door.
Piotr Gradecki saw the keys that had been left on the outside of a front door - by two "extremely intoxicated" women who had been on a night out - before sneaking inside and pouncing on a woman. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the married 39-year-old then subjected his victim to a shocking sex attack that left her psychologically traumatised.
Gradecki, of The Ramparts, Denton, Newcastle, denied rape and two sexual assault charges but was convicted by a jury after a trial. Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced him to eight years behind bars with a five year extended licence. He was also added to the sex offenders register for life.
The judge said Gradecki attacked a "vulnerable woman while she was helpless to resist" and added: "The fact you were prepared to enter a woman's home in the middle of the night, uninvited and go up to the stairs to her bedroom then have sex with her, regardless of her state of intoxication, is extremely concerning and indicates a significant level of risk."
On the night of the attack Gradecki had loitered around Newcastle city centre in his car for hours before he saw the victim and her friend, who were drunk and agreed to give them a lift home, despite not knowing them.
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The court heard the women had drank a "great deal of alcohol" during their night out and neither can recall leaving the last bar in the early hours. Gradecki claimed he had been simply driving around as he was unable to sleep but Judge Cemitson said he could have been "looking for some for of sexual encounter" or "at worse seeking out lone, vulnerable women to prey upon."
When the two women approached his vehicle, Gradecki had initially refused to give them a lift but then agreed and took them home. There was no suggestion he had tried to pose as a cabbie. Judge Clemitson said: "It must have been apparent to you they were both extremely intoxicated and therefore vulnerable."
The court heard Gradecki dropped the women off without incident but he later realised one of them had left her phone in his car so went back to the address. Judge Clemitson said: "Your evidence was you went to the house to return the keys and found the keys in the door on the outside.
"Instead of leaving the phone inside and closing the door, you went into the house uninvited, you went upstairs in the house to the bedroom where they were sleeping." The victim was taken into a spare room at the house, where she was raped and sexually assaulted.
Judge Clemitson said: "You took advantage of her drunken state." Gradecki claimed what happened with the woman was consensual and said he showered before he went home to his family. It was only the next morning the victim started to remember "fragments" of what had happened to her and contacted the police.
The court was told that Gradecki has no history of "abusive or predatory" behaviour. John Crawford, defending, said Gradecki is remorseful for what happened but did not accept criminal behaviour.
If you or anyone you know have been the victim of sexual abuse then call Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222 or visit here.
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