Tadeusz Podlasinski, 60, ordered the woman to undress and threatened to kill her. DNA evidence linked him to the attack, and he will be sentenced on 3 December.
Tadeusz Podlasinski, 60, from Nowa Wies Wielka in Poland, has been found guilty at Leicester Crown Court of attempted rape, attempted assault by penetration and intentional strangulation. The jury returned its verdicts on Monday 19 October. The court heard that he attacked a woman on Baines Lane, which runs between Hinckley Road and the M1 southbound services at Leicester Forest East, as she walked to catch a bus home on 25 April. He ordered her to remove her clothes and threatened to kill her.
The attack
Prosecutor Michael Brady KC told the court that Podlasinski approached the woman from behind and tried to push her into bushes beside the lane. She was in her 20s and heading for the A47 Hinckley Road. The attack happened on Saturday 25 April, between about 6.20pm and 6.40pm, according to earlier police reporting.
He grabbed her round the neck hard enough to restrict her breathing, the jury heard, leaving visible bruising. She repeatedly told him to stop and screamed for help, and he threatened to kill her if she carried on. She fought back and pushed him in the face. He then made his way back towards the services. She phoned a colleague, who collected her, and the attack was reported to police. The woman has not been named.
How he was identified
Leicestershire Police found CCTV showing a man matching her description entering the services at about 6.15pm and heading towards Baines Lane. The research notes say he left a minute later and that the woman walked past the vehicle linked to him at about 6.23pm. Police said he drove a red, curtain-sided Iveco van, which helped detectives identify him. Detective Inspector Jenny Tattersall made a public appeal on 26 April, also asking motorists for dashcam footage.
Officers found the van at the same services on 28 April. Roads Policing Team officers were deployed, and Podlasinski was arrested as he returned to it shortly afterwards, then charged. The investigation was led by Signal, the force’s specialist rape and serious sexual assault team.
The evidence at trial
The jury heard that DNA attributable to Podlasinski was recovered from swabs taken from the woman’s neck and from the waistband of her clothing. He told police he had never seen, spoken to or touched her, and did not recognise her from a photograph. He described his day as routine, involving eating, cooking, contacting relatives, using the internet and speaking to colleagues. The jury rejected his denials and convicted him on all three counts.
The research notes say there are no confirmed details of previous convictions, other victims or other outstanding charges.
Police response
DI Tattersall said: “This incident generated significant public interest at the time as we appealed for help in identifying and locating the person responsible. I’d like to place on record my thanks to everyone who came forward with information that led to Podlasinski being arrested and brought to justice today. I would like to commend the bravery of the victim both on the day and for providing evidence to the court.”
She added: “The fact he targeted a young woman he didn’t know while she walked home is most definitely predatory behaviour. He saw an opportunity to fulfil his sexual desires and he may well have gone on to do something similar again. I hope today’s outcome provides both the victim and wider community with a sense of relief that a dangerous man is now facing time behind bars.”
Podlasinski will be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday 3 December 2026.
