A SEX offender who targeted women on buses will be released from jail tomorrow despite an order for his deportation.

Piotr Rownicki (35) with a last address in Finglas, north Dublin, will walk free from the Midlands Prison even though Justice Minister Alan Shatter issued an order that he be removed from the country for a decade.

He was convicted of the spate of sex crimes in May last year. However the Polish national will be a free man and living in the community - because he has appealed against Minister Shatter's order.

This means that the deportation order is now the subject of a judicial review.

Until this review is completed, Rownicki is a free man in Ireland.

A senior source explained: “There is a lot of concern that this individual is back on the streets.

“He is clearly a major danger to women and carried out public sexual assaults over a period of over four years on six different women.

“Until the judicial review process is finalised, Rownicki will be entitled to stay in Ireland - gardai will be monitoring him but there are major fears that he might strike again.”

Polish national Rownicki was sentenced in June of last year to three years in prison with the final 16 months suspended after he pleaded guilty to seven charges of sexual assault on dates between January 2007 and May, 2011.

He assaulted one girl twice on two different buses.

On each occasion Rownicki sat down beside his victim when there were other empty seats available on the bus, put the jacket over his knees, masturbated and touched the women's leg.

By Ken Foy

Online Editors