High Court Sentences Dariusz Matejewicz
Dariusz Matejewicz has been sentenced to 18 years in prison at the High Court in Stirling after being found guilty of multiple serious offences. The 39-year-old was convicted of raping four former partners and assaulting a baby, with attacks occurring over a 15-year span across various locations including Inverness, Aviemore, Dingwall in the Highlands, and Glenrothes in Fife.
During the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Matejewicz denied all charges but was convicted in April of 12 offences. These included five counts of rape, assault to danger of life, assault, indecent assault, and stalking.
Sentencing, Lord Stuart described Matejewicz as having shown no remorse for his actions. The judge imposed an 18-year prison term, followed by seven years of community supervision. Additionally, Matejewicz faces non-harassment orders preventing any contact with the four rape victims for life, and he has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Details of the Offences
Matejewicz, formerly residing in Inverness, targeted his partner between May 2007 and September 2008. During this period, he subjected her to repeated rapes and sexual assaults, threatened her with a knife held to her neck, kicked her in the head, and held her hand over a hot cooker. He also threatened to kill her if she attempted to leave.
In 2008, Matejewicz assaulted a baby aged between three and six months on multiple occasions. His actions included forcing a fabric ball into the baby's mouth, obstructing her airway, threatening to throw her against a wall, and dropping the pram she was in. These actions were deemed to have endangered the child's life.
On 5 October 2011, Matejewicz raped a second woman while she was asleep at a house in Glenrothes. Between October 2013 and June 2014, he targeted a third woman in Dingwall, repeatedly striking her head and body, kicking her, ripping hair from her head, and issuing threats of violence towards her family. He raped her at a hotel in Dingwall in June 2014.
A fourth woman was targeted in Inverness during the summer of 2021. The trial revealed that Matejewicz repeatedly raped her and threatened her with a knife.
'Coercion, Psychological Control and Violence'
Matejewicz, born in Poland and having moved to Scotland at age 19 to work in hospitality, was described by Lord Stuart as having committed a "significant body of offending." His defence lawyer, Richard Goddard KC, noted Matejewicz's "strong work ethic" and that he had operated his own construction company since 2022.
Lord Stuart stated that Matejewicz offered no explanation for his conduct, with the defendant alleging that his "ex-partners and the police have conspired to make up allegations."
"Coercion, physical and psychological control and violence including sexual violence were all part of these domestically abusive relationships.
You abused the position of trust within your relationships, you targeted those who had become vulnerable as a result of your actions.
It was clear from seeing and hearing the complainers give evidence that they all suffered significant physical and psychological harm."
Following the conviction in April, Detective Inspector Gordon Pattullo commented on the case:
"Matejewicz is a violent and depraved individual.
The women and child affected by actions have suffered deeply, and I hope this verdict provides them with some measure of comfort."
"His conviction is as a direct result of their strength in coming forward and providing information which assisted our inquiries."
