Court hears how Gardai used CCTV footage to plot journey of van linked to alleged attacker

By Declan Brennan

Gardai investigating a random attack on a woman lifted hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and used it to plot the journey of a white van linked to the alleged attacker.

Slawomir Gierlowski (33) of Galtymore Road, Drimnagh, Dublin denies attacking three women on dates in 2011, 2015 and 2016 at locations around Clondalkin, Co. Dublin.

On day six of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court Garda Warren Farrell told the court that he analysed CCTV footage lifted from various places in the area. This was on foot of a garda investigation into an assault of a woman on May 16, 2016.

Last week the woman, who cannot be named, told the jury that she was attacked on her way to a Luas stop by a man armed with a knife. She said she thought the man was going to slit her throat and she grabbed the blade to stop that happening.

Gda Farrell said that gardai lifted hundreds of hours of footage and that he used computer software to edit clips of a white van travelling in the area.

He said he used certain features to identify the van in the footage. These included the fact that it was a white VW Crafter van with a black moulding or trim along the side of the van with three orange lights.

He said the vehicle's registration was 08-D-20729. The jury heard today that a commercial van with this reg number is registered to the defendant.

The jury were shown a number of clips of video footage which showed a white van with black trim and with orange lights travelling from a location at New Road, Clondalkin at around 5am towards an area closer to the scene of the attack.

The jury also viewed video footage of the van travelling at around 6.50am from the area near the scene of the attack towards the Naas road. Further footage showed the van driving past the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh and then Galtymore road.

Gda Farrell said further footage showed the white van parked outside or close to a house on Galtymore road which was the home of Mr Gierlowski.

He agreed with Orla Crowe SC, defending, that there is a 29 minute gap, between 5.12am and 5.41am, where there is no footage available of the van's movements.

Mr Gierlowski denies falsely imprisoning and assaulting the woman on May 16, 2016. He also denies having a hunting knife with intent to intimidate on the same occasion.

He also denies the false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a second woman on September 3, 2015. Finally he denies the false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault of a third woman on September 11, 2011.

The trial continues before Judge Pauline Codd and a jury of 11 men.