On the evening of 2 January 2022, at approximately 11.45pm, Stanislaw Pozniecki, a 49-year-old man from Walthamstow, targeted a lone 25-year-old woman travelling on a southbound Jubilee line train in London. The woman was asleep during the journey when Pozniecki sat opposite her, attempted to wake her, and then moved to sit beside her. He proceeded to sexually assault her by penetration, an act she awoke to discover.
Following the assault, Pozniecki propositioned the woman, asking her to sleep with him and offering her £20, which she refused. Both exited the train at Wembley Park station. The victim walked away to sit on a bench along the platform, but Pozniecki approached her again. A vigilant member of rail staff noticed the suspicious interaction, intervened, and instructed Pozniecki to move away from the victim. Once alone with the staff member, the woman disclosed the assault, prompting the immediate involvement of British Transport Police.
British Transport Police officers arrived promptly at the station and arrested Pozniecki on the spot. He was taken into custody for questioning. Detectives from the force meticulously built a strong case against him, which ultimately led Pozniecki to change his plea from not guilty to guilty on one count of assault by penetration.
The sentencing took place on 29 January 2024 at Southwark Crown Court, where Judge [Name not specified] imposed a custodial sentence of four years and nine months' imprisonment on Pozniecki. In addition to the prison term, he was subjected to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which prohibits him from approaching, touching, staring at, sitting next to, or communicating with lone women on the UK rail network, including the London Underground. Pozniecki was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Detective Constable Jamie Saunders of British Transport Police commented on the case: 'Pozniecki sought out and assaulted a lone woman who was simply travelling home. His abhorrent actions were predatory, and I am pleased to see him handed this jail term. It is thanks to the courage and support of the victim that we have been able to bring him before the courts and put him behind bars for years to come. I would also like to extend my thanks to the member of rail staff who spotted something suspicious, immediately intervened, and called the police.' Saunders further urged the public: 'If you experience or witness a sexual offence on-board a train or at a station, I urge you to report it to us by texting 61016. We take every report seriously and will stop at nothing to bring sexual offenders like Pozniecki to justice.'
The case, reported by Poppy Huggett for London Now in partnership with USA Today, underscores the risks faced by lone travellers on public transport and the effectiveness of swift police response in securing justice. Pozniecki, residing on Billet Road in Walthamstow, north-east London, will serve his sentence in a UK prison facility.