An attacker has been convicted of attempted murder after trying to throw a young woman in front of a Tube train at King’s Cross station.
Arthur Hawrylewicz, 42, of Avondale Gardens, Cardiff, pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court yesterday and will be sentenced on 24 April.
The terrifying ordeal occurred on Monday, 29 August, as the victim, a 22-year-old woman, and her friends were making their way to Notting Hill Carnival.
Hawrylewicz, who appeared to be drunk, attempted to speak to her, but the victim asked him to leave her alone.
As the train approached the platform, Hawrylewicz grabbed the victim from behind and attempted to throw her in front of the train, along with himself.
Two of the victim’s friends bravely intervened, managing to pull her to safety as Hawrylewicz’s head was hit by a glancing blow from the oncoming train, knocking him unconscious.
Officers arrived at the scene quickly and arrested Hawrylewicz, who was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Despite claiming that he had no recollection of the attack, he admitted to drinking three beers and a third of a bottle of vodka before travelling to King’s Cross with the intention of harming himself.
Detective Sergeant Mike Blakeburn said:
“This was a completely unprovoked and incredibly disturbing attack which will have been beyond terrifying for the victim – a young woman who was on her way to enjoy a day at Notting Hill Carnival with her friends. Had it not been for their brave actions pulling her from Hawrylewicz’s clutches, we could easily have been dealing with a murder investigation.
“Hawrylewicz has never offered any explanation or rationale for why he did what he did and claimed throughout interview that he had no recollection of the incident, but the victim will have to live with this traumatic memory for the rest of her life. Thankfully he can now expect a significant custodial sentence where he’ll have plenty of time to consider the implications of his senseless and violent behaviour.
“As shocking as this incident it is important remember that events like this are incredibly rare on the railway network, and in this case BTP officers were on scene within minutes and able to quickly arrest Hawrylewicz and bring him into police custody where he’s remained throughout the investigation.”
Hawrylewicz will be sentenced next month.
