A man who tried to push a woman in front of an oncoming Tube train as she travelled to Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed.
Arthur Hawrylewicz, from Cardiff, had drunk up to four beers and a third of a litre of vodka before heading to London’s King’s Cross Underground station where he approached his victim.
The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Maria Osifeso on August 29 last year.
Prosecutor Suki Dhadda said the pharmacist was waiting at the platform at about 1.15pm when ‘she felt arms wrap around her waist in a bear hug-style grip’.
‘She was then picked up by someone, her feet left the floor and she was swung to the left, she thought in an attempt to put her on the track or in front of the train which was pulling into the station,’ they said.
Inner London Crown Court heard how the then 22-year-old was rescued by her friends.
Constantinos Spyrou got between them, managing to pull Ms Osifeso free just moments before the train would have hit her.
He then forced Hawrylewicz on to the ground, where he moved like a ‘fish in a bellyflop movement’, hitting his head on the train and losing consciousness.
In a victim impact statement read in court, Ms Osifeso said she was left ‘reeling’ and wondering ‘what if’.
She said: ‘What if my friends hadn’t been there? What if my male friend had not jumped in to grab him? What if I had been standing closer to the tracks?
‘I would most likely be dead and my family mourning the loss of a daughter. It is incredibly traumatic to think how close I came to dying.’
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Ms Osifeso added that the effects have been ‘profound and long-lasting’ and she now suffers ‘overwhelming anxiety’ when travelling alone on the Tube.
In her statement she said she is ‘hyper-aware’, standing with her back to the wall, holding on to the railings, or standing at the top of the stairs until she can see the train coming.
Alexia Nicol, defending, described her client as a ‘hardworking family man’ and said he was in a ‘confused and desperate state’ in a ‘perfect storm’ caused by his ’emotional position, his drinking and the busyness of the platform’.
She stressed that the dad-of-two recognises the ‘real sorrow’ he has put his victim through.
‘He regrets what happened on that day, every single day,’ she added.
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Her client had also told the police that he had thought about committing suicide that day.
Judge Benedict Kelleher sentenced Hawrylewicz, of Avondale Gardens, to 10 years behind bars today.
‘You attempted to kill a young woman by throwing her in front of a moving train,’ he said.
‘You had approached your victim, Ms Osifeso, while she was standing with friends on the platform at King’s Cross Underground station.
‘She was a complete stranger to you. You tried briefly to speak to her but she ignored you.’
The judge added: ‘It is clear from the available evidence you intended to kill yourself that day but there is nothing to explain why you chose to try to kill an innocent bystander.’
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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