Andrzej Kunowski

Andrzej Kunowski (29 March 1956 – 23 September 2009), known as the Beast of Mława , was a Polish murderer, serial rapist and suspected serial killer. A prolific sex offender in his native country, Kunowski later moved illegally to England, where he murdered 12-year-old Macedonian girl Katerina Koneva in 1997. Sentenced to a whole life order for this crime, he was detained at the HM Prison Frankland until his death in 2009.

Early life Andrzej Kunowski was born on 29 March 1956, in Warsaw, Poland. His father was a respected builder who worked on several construction sites, while his mother was a homemaker. When he was still young, the family moved to Mława after his father was offered an apartment in the city center by the PBRol company, which wanted to hire him. While his parents were regarded as decent, likeable people, Andrzej was considered a nervous, troublesome child who constantly had problems at school and had difficulty conversing with his peers. As a teenager, he stole some money from his parents' savings book and fled from home, wandering around the country.

During this time, he was a suspect in the disappearance of 14-year-old student Agnieszka Grzybicka, who mysteriously vanished after finishing her lessons at one of the primary schools in Mława. Despite a joint effort by local resident and the police to locate her, Grzybicka was never found, leading some to believe that she had been abducted and killed. On 22 May 1997, he found a new target: 12-year-old Macedonian immigrant Katerina Koneva, who lived with her parents in Hammersmith. After following Koneva home from school, Kunowski broke in and jammed the door with a chair in order to prevent anyone from entering. He choked the young girl with a cord, but was interrupted by the girl's father, Trajce Konev, who saw him through a crack in the door.

Arrest, trial and imprisonment In 2002, Kunowski lured a 21-year-old Korean student to his Acton apartment, ostensibly to sell to her. When she entered, he began choking and raping her. This time, however, his victim escaped and later told the authorities about her attacker. Kunowski was quickly located, arrested, and sentenced to 9 years imprisonment for rape. While in prison, Kunowski's DNA was uploaded in a police database to check if he could be linked to any unsolved crimes. As a result, both his DNA and fingerprints were found to be a positive match with the ones found on the cardigan worn by Katerina Koneva. Following this revelation, the case caused a media frenzy, prompting a further investigation into the criminal's past. The English authorities initiated interviews with Kunowski, during which he confessed that he was evading the Polish police due to charges of rape. After cross-checking his claims, his extensive record of rapes dating back to the 1970s was revealed to the public.

In March 2004, Kunowski faced trial at the Old Bailey for the murder of Katerina Koneva, and he was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to a whole life order, meaning he would never be eligible for parole. Following his conviction, several members of the prosecution and police force labelled him as one of the most dangerous and prolific sex offenders they had ever encountered.

Death Andrzej Kunowski died in HM Prison Frankland on 23 September 2009 from heart failure. Shortly after his death, an appeal was made to the public to possibly connect him to any further rapes or murders in England. However, as of 2026, there have been no new developments.