A knife-wielding robber who punched victims and stole their mobile phones during a weeks-long crime spree on the London Underground has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Fabian Pawlowski targeted passengers by asking to borrow their phones to make a call before threatening them with knives pulled from his pockets.
The 22-year-old robbed three young men in separate incidents between April 27 and May 15 this year.
CCTV released by the British Transport Police (BTP) showed Pawlowski escaping from stations across London after the violent robberies. He was eventually arrested at Stratford station on June 16 following a manhunt.
The first incident took place at about 1.40pm on April 27, when Pawlowski boarded a Metropolitan Line train at Harrow-on-the-Hill station.
After fist-bumping a passenger as he entered the carriage, he sat opposite the man and asked to use his phone to make a call.
Fabian Pawlowski, 22, violently robbed three young men of their phones on the London Underground earlier this year
He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at Harrow Crown Court on October 9
The victim handed over the device reluctantly, but saw Pawlowski leave the train at Northwick Park still holding it.
When the victim followed him and demanded its return, Pawlowski punched him in the face.
The man then walked away after noticing what he believed was a knife in the robber’s hand.
Just three days later, Pawlowski, from Banstead in Surrey, returned to Harrow-on-the-Hill station and approached a second man.
The victim saw Pawlowski push his hand into his jeans pocket and, fearing he was about to be stabbed, handed over a phone worth more than £1,000.
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On May 15, Pawlowski struck again, targeting a third passenger on a Jubilee Line train travelling between Canning Town and North Greenwich.
After focusing on the man’s phone and becoming aggressive, he pulled two knives from his pocket, stole the device and fled from the train.
BTP detectives identified Pawlowski through CCTV investigations and intelligence work before issuing an appeal to find him. Patrolling officers arrested him at Stratford station on June 16.
He admitted the offences in July after detectives showed him CCTV footage connecting him to all three robberies.
Pawlowski appeared at Harrow Crown Court on Friday, October 9, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and two counts of possessing a bladed article.
The judge sentenced him to four and a half years in prison.
After the hearing, a BTP spokesperson said: “Fabian Pawlowski thought he could carry out a string of robberies on the Underground and go unnoticed. He thought wrong.”
‘Pawlowski used deceptive and aggressive tactics to steal phones from three men in London earlier this year.
‘He was no match for us though. Following our investigation, Pawlowski has been sent to prison for four-and-a-half years.’
BTP Detective Constable Olesia Berdova added: ‘Pawlowski is a serial offender who set out to intimidate his victims, using threatening language as well as a knife to force his victims to hand over their mobile phones.
‘Pawlowski’s actions have caused significant distress and fear and I am pleased that he will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars.
‘BTP has been working hard to reduce the number of robberies across the railway network in recent years, and this case demonstrates that when they do still occur, we will never let up in the fight to take down robbers.
‘Every report of robbery is taken extremely seriously, and I urge anyone who is the victim of, or witness to, this offending to report it to us by texting 61016.’