Laverton roadside rapist jailed for six years after being found guilty by jury in Kalgoorlie District Court

A rapist has been jailed for six years for the roadside sexual assault of a woman in Laverton two years ago. Daniel Edward Polak was found guilty by a jury at the conclusion of his trial in Kalgoorlie District Court this week for three counts of sexual penetration without consent. Polak maintained his innocence throughout the trial. Opening statements from the prosecution and defence were made on Tuesday morning before evidence was provided by the victim. The prosecutor told the jury the woman had asked Polak to take her back to where she had been drinking with family earlier, to which he agreed, but he then drove her in the opposite direction. About 10km out of Laverton, Polak pulled the car over and began touching the woman’s breasts despite her telling him to “stop”, “not to be silly”, and to take her back. Polak then pulled a mattress out of the back of the car, put it on the ground, and told the woman they were “going to have a quick one”. He took the woman’s clothes off as well as his own, and sexually assaulted her three times while she was “frightened”. Afterwards, the woman put her clothes on and ran away, losing her thongs along the way. She walked 10km back to Laverton police station, where she reported she had been raped by a man named “Daniel”. She described the mattress and the car Polak was in, both of which were found in the following days. Polak’s car had his personal belongings inside, as well as the woman’s identification card. DNA matching Polak’s was found on the woman. His six-year sentence was backdated to April 8, 2023, and he was made eligible for parole. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)