A distraught woman used a nail file to escape from a locked bedroom after being trapped inside by her violent husband, a court has heard.
Rafal Guzowski removed the handle from a door at the couple’s Perth home so she couldn’t leave while he was outside.
Just when she managed to free herself, he returned to the house.
He pushed her to the ground, straddled her and snatched her mobile phone.
The woman was able to slip out through a back door while her husband was distracted and drove to the local police station “in a state of distress.”
The 49-year-old appeared at the city’s sheriff court and admitted domestically-aggravated charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and assault and robbery.
‘You are not going to work tomorrow’
Prosecutor Lissie Cooke said that the accused and complainer had returned to their home address in Perth’s Tulloch area at about 8.30pm on May 1 this year.
“At this time, the mood was described as alright,” she said.
“At around midnight, Mr Guzowski tried to engage in a conversation with the complainer as she was trying to sleep.
“She informed him as such, but he seemed to take offence at this.”
Guzowski began raising his voice and moved himself over to his wife’s side of the bed, looming over her.
“What are you going to do now?” he said.
“You are not going to work tomorrow.”
The court heard how he continued to berate her for several minutes.
When he briefly left the room, the woman grabbed her mobile and started recording.
“He came back in and continued to state to the complainer that she wasn’t going to work,” said Ms Cooke.
“He then made a remark about locking her in the bedroom.
“The complainer was in shock to hear this.”
Guzowski grabbed the door handle, yanked it up and then pulled it off, before leaving the room.
“He closed the door behind him, which resulted in it becoming locked,” the fiscal depute said.
“She was now trapped in the room with no exit.
“The room was on the first floor of the address.”
Escape
The woman heard her husband leaving the property.
She tried unsuccessfully to get the door open.
Ms Cooke said: “The complainer then located a nail file which she used to turn the inner locking mechanism of the door.”
She managed to escape downstairs and began gathering her belongings.
Just then, Guzowski return through the front door, still acting aggressively.
When he asked her what she was doing, she said she was just tidying up.
“The complainer was scared of reprisals if she told him she was planning to leave,” said Ms Cooke.
Guzowski then demanded she handed over her mobile phone.
He grabbed at it and there was a struggle, the court heard.
“The accused demanded to be given the phone,” the fiscal depute said.
“He pushed the complainer to the upper body, causing her to fall back.
“He then straddled her and held her, then took possession of the phone.”
Throughout the attack, his wife begged him to stop.
Guzowski left the room holding her phone, Ms Cooke said.
“The complainer decided to leave the address via the back door,” she said.
As she drove away in her car, she saw her husband in the garden operating her phone, with the screen illuminating his face.
The woman drove straight to Perth police station to report what had happened.
Marriage may be ‘salvageable’
Solicitor Lynsey Barber, defending, said her client had since moved out of the marital home into a flat in the city centre.
“He has never been in this position before,” she said.
“He is extremely remorseful.”
She said seasonal worker Guzowski has been identified as a minimal risk of reoffending.
“He is of the view that the relationship with his wife may still be salvageable,” Ms Barber said.
“He has taken the time to reflect on matters and appreciates the trauma he caused.”
Sheriff Clair McLachlan sentenced Guzowski, of County Place, to carry out 133 hours unpaid work.
She said a non-harassment order was not necessary, as the complainer did not crave one.
“I think you will agree that this was a fairly disgraceful episode of behaviour on your part,” she told him.
“You at least seem to show some insight and appear genuinely remorseful.”
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