A “callous and cowardly” sexual predator has been jailed for eight years after raping a woman.

Wojciech Pietrzyk, 42, of Wickham Crescent, Braintree, showed no emotion and looked at the floor as Judge Christopher Morgan read out his sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday.

Pietrzyk previously admitted two counts of rape and a further charge of sexual assault in July.

Prosecuting, Lindsay Cox told the court that on Saturday June 9 Pietrzyk had gone out alone to a nightclub in Braintree. Whilst he was in there, CCTV caught him watching and attempting to dance with a 21-year-old woman.

Mr Cox said: “At approximately 3.42am, the defendant left the club but did not go home, waiting for around seven minutes when the woman left the club by herself and walked away. He then followed her.

“From her account, she believes she was definitely drunk. She didn’t notice anything until she turned into an alleyway, and the defendant grabbed her by the hair, holding her firmly.

“She was shoved to the ground. She kept pleading with him to let her go, but he did not. She tried to escape, but he had an extremely firm grip.

“When she tried to resist, he punched her up to five times in the face.”

Mr Cox said that after he raped the woman in the alleyway of Riverside Place in St John’s Avenue, he got up and walked off “as though nothing had happened”, leaving the woman to run home and raise the alarm.

The sustained a number of injuries including scraped thighs, bruising on her shins and eyes and a swollen face.

In her Victim Impact Statement, she said: “I cannot get to sleep as every noise makes me paranoid. I never walk home alone anymore which has taken away some of my independence. I believe I will forever feel disgusted and vulnerable.”

Detectives launched an investigation, with officers working around the clock, and Pietrzyk was arrested four days later. DNA evidence recovered from the victim provided a match for the suspect.

Mitigating for Pietrzyk, Richard Conley said that whilst the victim had suffered a “perfectly ghastly” and “traumatic” event, the consequences were “no more extreme than a normal case of rape”.

He argued that there was not a significant degree of planning involved in the crime before the night in question, as Pietrzyk had made no effort to conceal his identity or bring a weapon.

Halstead Gazette:

Judge Christopher Morgan believed that Pietrzyk would be a “serious threat to women”.

Sentencing, he said: “There was a degree of planning. You saw a vulnerable, lone woman, you waited outside and followed her for several minutes.

“You have said that in your childhood you witnessed a violent assault.

“This appears to have distorted your interest in women and on your sexual entitlement.

"You must understand that following a young and lone female in the dark in the early hours of the morning and committing this offence has caused no doubt significant psychological trauma and upset.

"You must understand you caused that which will stay with her for a significant period of time.”

Pietrzyk was sentenced to an eight years custodial term with a five-year extended license for the two counts of rape, plus a four year concurrent sentence for sexual assault.

He is likely to face deportation to his home country of Poland following his sentence.

Speaking after the sentencing Senior Investigating Officer DCI Stephen Jennings of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “Pietrzyk is a callous, cowardly sexual predator who stalked his victim throughout the night before seizing an opportunity to attack her as she walked home alone.

“Thankfully today she can take some small shred of comfort from the fact that Pietrzyk is behind bars for a significant number of years.

“But the victim in this case - as with all those who are subjected to sexual offences – will live with what happened to her for the rest of her life.

“She is extremely brave both in reporting the offence to Essex Police and in supporting our investigation to ensure a dangerous and violent sexual predator is put behind bars where he belongs.”

If you have been a victim of sexual violence contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For details of support available in Essex contact the Essex Partnership of Rape Crisis Centres on 0300 003 7777 or visit https://synergyessex.org.uk.