Tralee man jailed 12.5 years for rape and coercive control of former partner

Krystian Zahnoj (32) of Market Street, Tralee, has been sentenced to 12 and a half years for raping and assaulting a former partner. The Central Criminal Court heard the victim suffers from PTSD and found the process "very difficult to endure".

Tralee man sentenced for rape, assault and coercive control of former partner

A 32-year-old man from Tralee has been jailed for 12 and a half years after being convicted of raping and assaulting a woman he had previously been in a relationship with, radiokerry.ie reports.

Krystian Zahnoj, of Market Street, Tralee, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in Cork earlier this year of rape and assault causing harm on a date in 2022. He was also found guilty of assault causing harm and coercively controlling the woman during their relationship between 2019 and 2021.

The woman, who wishes to retain her anonymity, requested that Zahnoj be named in media reporting of the case.

Victim describes lasting trauma

In her victim impact statement, read to the court at an earlier hearing, the woman said her life has not been the same since the offences. She told the court she suffers from PTSD and is now in counselling.

"I realise now why victims of rape and abuse don't come forward," she said, citing the experience of having their character "shredded to pieces". She said the entire system requires an overhaul to better protect women, but added she was pleased she had persevered.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the victim impact statement clearly outlined the nature of the suffering the woman had endured both during her relationship with Zahnoj and over the course of the offences.

The judge noted the woman's entire life had been affected and that she had described the criminal process as "very difficult to endure". He acknowledged that, like many who come to court, she had "resented" aspects of the process — including cross-examination — that can be "not only intrusive but very hurtful". While the trial was conducted within "ordinary professional boundaries", Mr Justice McDermott said this offered no comfort to the injured party, who had shown "enormous courage" throughout.

Relationship turned coercive before 2022 attack

An investigating garda had previously told Donal O'Sullivan SC, prosecuting, that the couple began an on-and-off relationship in 2019, during which the woman would leave and return on multiple occasions. Zahnoj became coercive and controlling, the court was told, and episodes of violence occurred during that time.

After the relationship ended and the woman moved to a new home in 2022, Zahnoj forced open her front door, assaulted her and then raped her.

Mr Justice McDermott described the circumstances of the rape as an aggravating factor, noting the "violent forceful entry" into a home where the woman should have been safe. The judge said the rape and assault appeared to be "a continuation of an attitude towards her that permeated the coercive control and earlier assault".

Sentence and supervision

The judge set a headline sentence of 13 years for the rape count, directing that it reflect the overall criminality Zahnoj had engaged in. He noted there was "very little to be said by way of mitigation", as Zahnoj offered no expression of remorse or acceptance of responsibility.

A final sentence of 12 years and six months was imposed, backdated to when Zahnoj entered custody. The court also imposed a five-year post-release supervision order and directed that Zahnoj have no contact whatsoever with the injured party.

Zahnoj has 22 previous convictions relating to minor drugs, road traffic and public order matters. Mr Justice McDermott noted that those prior offences "pale in significance" compared to the offences before the court.

Background

The investigating garda agreed with Richard Liston BL, defending, that Zahnoj had no prior convictions for sexual offences. Liston told the court his client had moved to Ireland from Poland ten years ago, is now in a new relationship, and that his fiancée supports him. The garda responded: "I don't see her here today, judge." The court also heard that Zahnoj has a work history and provides assistance to his mother.

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If you have been affected by this story, you can freephone Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre on 1800 633 333.

Source: Irish Independent