Tomasz Jasinski

Tomasz Jasinski, a 33-year-old Polish national working as a builder in the Scottish Borders, carried out a brutal rape on a woman in her own home near a village in Berwickshire in June 2021. Jasinski had been staying at a local bed and breakfast with fellow Polish workers on a building site. On the day of the incident, he had been drinking vodka before entering the victim's home uninvited.

The attack occurred while the woman was in bed with her young son also in the house. According to court proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh, Advocate Depute Ali Murray described how the woman was 'shocked and petrified' during the assault. She pretended to be asleep out of fear, tried to move away from Jasinski, and repeatedly told him 'no', but was unable to stop him. Jasinski first sexually assaulted her before proceeding to rape her, all in the presence of her child.

Following the attack, the woman fled to her neighbours, who found her 'extremely upset'. Police were immediately contacted, and Jasinski was detained at the bed and breakfast. Upon arrest, he claimed, 'I had sex but it wasn't rape. I have nothing to hide.' Jasinski later admitted to the charges of sexual assault and rape.

During the sentencing hearing on 7 March 2023, Defence Solicitor Advocate Jennifer Cameron highlighted that alcohol was a factor in Jasinski's conduct but not an excuse, noting his low risk of reoffending and steady employment since leaving school. Judge Lady Haldane addressed Jasinski directly, stating: 'You have pled guilty to the rape of a woman in her own home. You sexually assaulted her before raping her, all in the presence of her son. Whilst it is to your credit that you have accepted responsibility for this offence and that you have shown remorse you have not been able to offer any explanation for why you did such a thing at all.'

The judge indicated that a five-year custodial sentence would have been imposed had Jasinski been convicted after trial, but reduced it due to his guilty plea, which spared the victim from testifying. Jasinski was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. This case, reported by BBC News, underscores the vulnerability of victims in their own homes and the severe consequences for such offenders.