The new beginning that resulted in a horrific end

Case 273: The Beast of Mława
** Content warnings: Child victims, serial rapist, stalking **
When the Koneva family fled to England to escape the war-torn Balkans, their hopes for a peaceful new beginning were soon shattered. In May 1997, an unknown intruder entered their London home and claimed the life of 12-year-old Katerina Koneva. The subsequent investigation spanned multiple countries and unravelled a frightening and prolific figure known as “The Beast.”
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research & writing - Milly Raso
Creative direction - Milly Raso
Production and music - Mike Migas
Music - Andrew D.B. Joslyn
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[@morten2001]

Can't believe how many times the Polish authorities dropped the ball in this case😮‍💨 Shame on them.

[@Trund27]

Yeah, it’s definitely unforgivable.

[@jennifermaddy2442]

If he was sentenced properly these girls would of been saved all this trauma

[@jennifermaddy2442]

Also the English cops weren't much better

[@ykjo5613]

Weren't there jokes before about Poles who are now replaced by Newfies?

[@MR-pv7qg]

Yeah and the custom agent who let him into GB isn't to blame?

[@TigersandBearsOhMy]

"Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent."

[@michelleshellimeyerketchum1219]

Yes! Completely agree with that quote, it’s sickening how often our current justice system revolves around the civil rights of the accused,leaving the victims and their surviving loved ones lost and forgotten.

[@imemovengeance]

Westerners are taught to be civilized in our way of punishment for crimes and yet law abiding citizens are preyed apon. I prefer we go back to mob and vigilant justice in cases like this one.

[@SKOMonster]

It's never good to step over someone's civil rights. One crime is not equal to the other, for one. This guy may have deserved the harsh treatment, but others may not. Plus there are many cases of judicial mistakes, so I believe the only way to maintain humane society, is for the rights to be upheld, even though this case was really black and white. I think problem here was shoddy police work, and disinterest in really protecting women from sexual violence, which you sadly see way too often. The narrator partly blamed it on communism on Polish side, but I don't agree; recall how he was released during the amnesty in 1989? This happened in my country too. In a cheap populist gesture, under ridiculous assumption that all prisoners currently in jail are political prisoners, many violent criminals were released together with those doing time for smaller offences and possible political prisoners (although I can't recall a single truly political prisoner from 80s, when the communism was already waning, I can't authoritatively claim there were none. But there were certainly more "standard" criminals, and they got their pardon too. And the opportunity to reoffend). To me, this is the most infuriating part, irregardless the regime: this constant talk about him being capable of rehabilitation, or even there being a good hope of that. Because violent sex offender, that's just like a pocket thief, right? He will drop this behaviour, if only we are nice to him. (Sarcasm end) They couldn't have believed that themselves. He should have been ordered chemical castration after the first offence, if they seriously wanted to protect the public. But no, they would rather release him so that he might destroy the lives of that many women and children. This was not issue of his rights; his rights concern due trial, not being violently coerced to confess, etc, this was issue of lackadaisical policing and ignorant politicians who don't care about common people they are supposed to serve, and perhaps the fact that the public interest was turned towards political issues of late 80s, rather than a few girls who were violated and traumatised for life. This reminds me of a certain French case, the Beast of Bastille I believe, with very similar dynamics of repeatedly releasing rapist and murderer. Therefore I do not think it can be blamed solely on regime, it is recurring pattern across many different countries. )​@michelleshellimeyerketchum1219

[@learobinson4450]

You a defense lawyer? Certainly sounds like it. Defense lawyers need their clients to walk free so they can commit more crimes & hire defense lawyers to keep them out of jail. Defense lawyers have a vested interest in criminals ruining around loose creating more victims.

[@user-mk8yh1gv5r]

This kind of bleeding heart “but what about the criminals” attitude is what gets innocents killed.

[@corylatimer]

This case is one of the most egregious examples of failure of judicial systems I’ve ever heard. Over and over again Poland failed to keep the public of two different countries safe from this predator. Also England shares a part of the blame as well. Really quite astonishing how light his sentences were and how much freedom and trust he was granted considering the extreme nature of his crimes.

[@jennifermaddy2442]

It's absolutely horrendous what the police allowed him to do.I cannot believe they let him out for hip surgery with no stipulations That's just unheard of

[@user-hv3uj4uj7x]

Hands down the best crime channel.

[@Maligroot]

I second that 👍

[@pirvustefanedward]

I third thank 👍

[@orlandomota6685]

I’m the 4th to Agree with that 👌🏽

[@chunkybird1241]

Fifth in agreement 👌

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

6th in agreement

[@jessicawalton3497]

Why do we continue to treat rapists like they'll "just get better?" It's appalling the lenient sentences these people receive throughout the world.

[@justanotherhappyhumanist8832]

Oh wow…I went to school in Hammersmith as an adolescent right around this time, and I remember, a few months before Princess Diana died, our school had an emergency assembly, and gave us this very cryptic talk about how there had been a series of attacks on young girls in the area. They even had a police officer come in to tell us what to do to best stay safe if we felt that someone was following us (I can’t remember everything, but one of the things was to keep an eye out for houses in our neighbourhood that always have their lights on as we’re walking home from school, so that we can go up to their door, ring the buzzer, and tell the residents that a strange man is following us and we feel unsafe and need help). And they had our parents buy us all these extremely loud devices that looked like pepper spray, but just emitted a really loud debilitating sound that would deafen and surprise the subject if we held it up to his ear so we could hopefully run away quickly. But they didn’t tell us that this is the reason they were so concerned! Our minds went wild imagining what kind of attacks could possibly be happening, and which of the older girls had been attacked, because we knew that none of us younger girls at my school had been attacked. And it was especially disarming, since only a few months before that, they had found and IRA stronghold (this was back in the day when attacks still happened), filled with an insane amount of ammunition, a block away from my school, and there had been a shootout between them and police just that morning. We all had to walk past the blood and police tape on our way to school. It was so new that the blood was still there, loads of it, and the officers just told us to look away and carry on walking. It was on the front page of all the papers at the time. So altogether, with that event and now this one, we were all a little freaked out. Of course, society is very different now, but it was normal back then for eleven year olds and up (sometimes even as young as nine) to walk quite far distances to school, or to the tube station, to catch the tube, and then walk to school from wherever they disembarked. Or to catch the bus. And this was true even when it began to get dark early, on streets without many people. I’m an older Millennial, and us older Millennials experienced the same latch-key kid normalisation of society that Gen X experienced…all of which is unheard of now, and would probably be considered child abuse/neglect! And I do think that today’s way is correct, as I have friends who had bad things happen to them on their way home from school. And we had to grow up young - because we didn’t have parents around us, we saw how men viewed us at a very young age, because builders would holler things and stuff, even though we were kids. The sad thing about this case, though, is that this Dad doesn’t seem like he was a latchkey parent - he seems like he genuinely worried about his kids being alone and unaccompanied, unlike most other parents of that generation. This dreadful murder was just the one time that he broke his own rules, and allowed his daughter to go home alone and unaccompanied, and she ended up being murdered. I’m sure that he has replayed that scenario in his head over and over again, and probably blamed himself for breaking his rule - though of course, it’s not his fault. It’s so sad. All of us latchkey kids, and the one girl it happens to is the girl whose father always makes sure that she’s with other people, and safe, and just allowed her to go home alone quickly one little time. I feel so awful for the father, and the girl, who had her whole life ahead of her. And it’s especially scary to know that it could have happened to any of my friends, because this guy was targeting girls the same age as I was, right around where I went to school, at the same time that I went to school there. And my best friends had long dark hair, and went home alone. We would start walking home together, and then split up, as we each went our separate ways. It’s haunting to know the true story behind why my school gave us that talk almost thirty years ago. I am only 17 minutes into the episode, but I had to write this comment already, because this touched me deeply…personally. My heart goes out to all the victims, and their families. All that they have lost, and all they could have been. I know that they would have made such an impact on the world, if this monster hadn’t stolen that from them, and I’m just so so saddened on their behalf.

[@oneoflokis]

Gosh. 😮 I'm glad I was brought up in quiet Cornwall!

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

​@@oneoflokisCornwalls a shithole

[@samih5916]

​@@user-mt4ku7jw1y just like what you are for writing insensitive comments on here about Katrina's father and the wife/mother Denise.

[@ItsKrma00]

Thank-you Casefile for your excellence in true crime reporting and for being a much anticipated Saturday staple ❤

[@marcelinalizinska1915]

I'm from Poland, but I've never heard of this case. I really appreciate how you're trying not to butcher the Polish names. In terms of the authorities and generally the judiciary system... This is unfortunately very, very common.

[@dianayeahboi8870]

Do you think this is a legal problem or a cultural one in Poland?

[@smiglo112]

@eahboi8870The man was charged and sentenced during communist era and got released in 1991 when the entirety of Poland was going through a system change going from Communist (which imprisoned hundreds if not thousands of people for political reasons) to a democratic system. So how do you think? Especially given that Poland nowadays is considered by OECD to be one of the safest countries in the world.

[@MR-pv7qg]

​@@dianayeahboi8870 Yeah it's cultural! We have hundreds of psychopaths doing whatever pleases them running free in every city ............

[@amethyst1826]

I really hope Katarina's mother apologised to her husband for what she said!! All those poor girls and women who would possibly still be here if it wasn't for the Polish prisons letting that monster out!!!

[@Rup869]

Its been a while but I'm so glad to be back listening to your episodes again. Much appreciated. Thanks so much..

[@user-hv5nb1ou7w]

It’s so utterly heart sickening, that all I can do is weep for the many young and innocent lives he’s destroyed ! Not to mention what it’s done to the community at large, and not least of all, their family and friends. Given the number of victims, the severity and heinous nature of their abuses, I can’t understand why his criminal history was not admissible in his UK court case, no matter how long ago or where those crimes took place. They showed the true extent of his deranged character. Now I think I may very well and truly be sick to my stomach.uu

[@klearmynd]

What kind of Wife sees a father mourning the loss of his daughter and says "What did you do?". there's no precedence that he ever hurt her previously...... anyways, Authorities as usual, in every place of the world drops the dam ball.

[@IrishIHadAPotato]

Her daughter was dead, she wasn't a native English speaker and only knew her husband was being held by the police. In a state of shock and grief it's actually very easy to see how she could have reacted that way if we apply the smallest amount of empathy for a grieving and confused mother.

[@samih5916]

@@IrishIHadAPotato she doesn't deserve any sympathy for what she did and she's not getting any from me.

[@jennam9226]

Yesssss! I live for these uploads. So many good ones lately. WE APPRECIATE YOOOOO

[@MeghanBean]

Still giving the daughter birthday & xmas gifts is the saddest detail

[@elizethompson8627]

It is time that those who let him out the jail system be held responsible. This case makes me think of little Audrii Cunningham 😢

[@Igorooooleynikov]

No it is democracy, are you anti democracy?

[@alia9087]

@@Igorooooleynikov thought democracy was more the will of the majority. Think if you asked most people they would be against letting him out

[@dalpaengi]

@@Igorooooleynikovohhh I see.. you approve of his crimes.

[@Grav3s07]

Meth is bad for you​@@Igorooooleynikov

[@dionnerd1]

I was 19 in 1997 living in Acton...I don't recall this case at all. I was out all the time in West London. It gives me the shivers that this man lived in my area 😢

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

He was watching you

[@Lulu-ih9by]

This case just shows the utter neglect and disregard for women and children. The Polish government failed their people on so many accounts but so did the British government. If both countries had followed procedure and not used a “trust system” so many people would have been spared the trauma this man inflicted on them. It is truly heart breaking

[@rowenaprice6631]

So glad I've found this chanel ☺️

[@reeva5735]

I recently watched the old Crimewatch episode which featured the hunt for this monster! Pure evil.

[@antonkovalenko364]

Wow. His wife threw him right under the bus, didn’t she? SMH.

[@lisas8244]

@antonkovalenko364 It was incredible to me that she could think he would have strangled and killed their daughter. It was apparent he loved her dearly. I knew when she said that their marriage wouldn't survive the stress of dealing with a murdered child. She obviously didn't know him at all and had no faith in him. Poor man.

[@samih5916]

Yeah she's awful for accusing him of doing this to their daughter and she clearly is a despicable individual for that. I'm glad he ended up getting a divorce and he's better off without that heartless so called wife.

[@coreencasey5109]

These monsters are laughing at the justice system that is way too lenient

[@Maligroot]

Thanks Matey 👍

[@sdafc888]

Oh dear what a family. Every single one including the Nan in prison

[@Grav3s07]

Everyone who gave him an easy way out to ruin more life's have blood on their hands.

[@mollylittlewolf9192]

What a relaxed bunch of laws for subhumans.

[@sdafc888]

I first heard casefile ages ago on Spotify but still find the odd case on KZbin I haven’t heard before

[@GusNomunei]

Only thing i love about sundays

[@jillkeller9794]

This particular podcast was hard to listen to. It's heartbreaking this guy was given so many chances to hurt so many... 💔

[@user-sr8ll8lm2h]

Posted 8 minutes ago! YESS!!!

[@redbeki]

Absolutely heartbreaking.

[@jennifermaddy2442]

What 9 yrs for such a brutal rape

[@user-oe7do6wv9s]

Being part Yugoslav myself I feel so sad for trichae

[@Boo-dawg.]

It wouldn't have mattered what they knew about him. Nothing would have been done. The cops seemed to be so lazy and thinking someone else would take care of it. The police and the courts are partly responsible for these girls because no effort was put into keeping him in jail. They thought he could be rehabilitated why that is I have no clue but they were definitely wrong! I'm glad he's in hell now. I know he couldn't get in anywhere else after death. And that's where he should be. Eternity is FOREVER, I guess he's figured that out by now.

[@johnmichaelfitzgerald3052]

G'day guys, Can't wait as I prepare to listen to another Casefiles episodes, thankyou Anonymous Host, your voice is so pleasant, helps me to drift off to sleep, thanks brother.. cheers from Melbourne Australia 🦘

[@LamarMeans]

Sick people all the way around. He should have met street justice. The community and police knew who he was. Nobody protected the children. Shame on everyone.

[@DEATH-THE-GOAT]

22:39 I believe that my cup in which I store human evil like this is full and has even overflowed. I can't stand listening to this kind of crime anymore. I'm sorry

[@zofiazajdel]

Mława! This is going to be interesting ❤

[@user-yk9sz9mh1t]

Why did he chase the dude instead of checking on his daughter wtf

[@elizabethsohler6516]

People do irrational things under stress.

[@Grav3s07]

The mind unravels when in a situation one should not be.

[@joythehomemaker904]

It may have saved him from being blamed for the crime they seemed ready to blame him and not investigate at all

[@IrishIHadAPotato]

It's strange seeing people defending his actions here, which is totally understandable, and yet there's so many comment critising her mother's reaction upon learning her daughter was dead and her husband was in custody.

[@bnetwz]

@@IrishIHadAPotatoyep not to victim blame, but if u were, blame him for his inaction instead of the wife’s words after the fact

[@danrobinson572]

R.I.P. to all his victims.

[@Ironmaryable]

i understand the sentiment but most are not dead

[@danrobinson572]

@@Ironmaryable my comment is for victims not the ones living

[@margaretbanks8969]

If id been the mother of one of the girls he woukd have a pain.

[@OzzieJayne]

Rusty scissors.

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

The fathers guilty no doubt, lock him up for life, he hated his daughter with a passion

[@samih5916]

He did not hate his daughter and he is not guilty and he does not deserve to be locked up. You don't know a thing about him so stop acting like a know-all and being insensitive.

[@samih5916]

Oi he did not hate her or take advantage of her and he did not keep her quiet. Stop with those lies plus you wouldn't be saying it if it happened to your family.

[@DevanHudson]

His mother sure had a chance to make sure this guy got off the street but did nothing. Ugh. Some people's brains are just broken. His, hers, the judges who were like...women and young girls? Meh.

[@thomasdoubting]

(Angry comment)😡

[@BucketHeadianHagg]

Casefile Presents, i hope you will respond: Is your accent Australia, or New Zealand?

[@DrDanex]

not him but it's australian

[@BucketHeadianHagg]

@@DrDanex I know both places hate it when you get them confused with each other, so I was a little afraid to ask for fear of unintentional insult. There’s a Japanese creator who’s from Australia too, and their accents sound so similar that I also was going to ask if he was Asian. (I’m old. I should just be quiet and be happy to be alive and not ask so many dumb questions 😂) Thanks for the reply. I hope you’re doing well.

[@DrDanex]

@@BucketHeadianHagg No problem, it's very hard to tell the two apart if you're not from one of those countries. Hope you're having a lovely day too!

[@johnoneill7947]

Let Love Be They Might.

[@Igorooooleynikov]

24:48 mmm democracy.

[@dalpaengi]

🤢 FBI, here he is…

[@emperorpatrisia5771]

If he hadn’t have run then people wouldn’t have saved the father from being the suspect.

[@thecatatemyhomework]

If he immediately, after the criminal ran out, gone into his daughter's room, she might have survived. Seeing his daughter's uniform and backpack in the room, and knowing there was a man there, his first reaction is to capture rhe man. That is not the normal reaction of a father. He wasted many minutes. And the fact that his wife and his own family believed he did it shows you what kind of man he is, that they think he's capable of that horror.

[@masterwars3443]

Please do not burden the family with views that have already drove the man close to suicide

[@loredanadincu4300]

How about mind your f business and don't put the blame on the father. He may also be in jail if he didn't run after the culprit. He was left out after the witnesses saw him running and dragging the damn killer.

[@loredanadincu4300]

And you can't possibly know if she would have survived. Even if she did, she may have been a vegetable because of the lack of oxygen reaching the brain. It's easy to comment like this when you weren't in his place.

[@lisas8244]

@thecatatemyhomework His wife was the horrible one to, in essence, accuse her husband. He obviously loved his daughter very much and has suffered tremendous emotional pain thinking of the what ifs.

[@samih5916]

@@lisas8244 yeah I agree with you, I was angry and disgusted when she accused him of killing their daughter and I'm glad he ended up getting a divorce from her since he deserved better.

[@rachelr4ch3l]

He shouldn’t have chased that man. Should have checked on his daughter first.

[@samih5916]

Quit blaming him, if he stayed instead of chasing that guy, he would be accused of killing his own daughter and stayed in prison for the rest of his life. Now show some flippin respect sheesh.

[@samih5916]

@@user-mt4ku7jw1y shut up that's not true, he loved his daughter and everything you say is a load of rubbish and lies.

[@samih5916]

@@user-mt4ku7jw1y what my age is none of your business and don't you say sheesh to me. You have no respect for this poor man.

[@samih5916]

​@@user-mt4ku7jw1y and don't call me man because I am not your man. The fact that you liked your own comment just makes it sad.

[@bnetwz]

@@samih5916being blamed for murder is better than your child dying. right?

[@susiemitchell1198]

I don't like being read to.......

[@lisas8244]

@susiemitchell1198 Bye Felicia!!

[@reallyryan_]

Keep crying about it

[@LifeisaHorrorMovie]

Ok

[@dalpaengi]

Ma’am this might not be the channel for you. You clicked the wrong page and that’s okay. ❤ There are crochet channels and bible channels and plenty of little old lady channels on youtube. The search bar is at the top.

[@ch70]

Tried to watch again because I really do like your research, but seriously cant get past the narration. If it were my channel, Id either take a story telling class of some kind or hire someone else to do the narration. Your channel should be much bigger than it is...the narration is holding it back.

[@Smkpt42]

How do you mean? Narrative is pretty good imo.

[@user-yk9sz9mh1t]

What do you find wrong with the narration?

[@lisas8244]

@ch70 I couldn't disagree more. I love the narration and wouldn't change a thing. His voice is calming while telling horrific stories. It's all factual and not overdramatic like some channels. Absolutely perfect.

[@Ariel-ck9he]

I love the narrator. What changes would you suggest?

[@emperorpatrisia5771]

I disagree completely. It’s the best part!

[@fingchowder]

i always wonder if there'd be less violence against women if humanity could generally acknowledge that dealing with women is the absolute worst part of being alive as a human being, instead of this fake history, love and forgiveness crap.

[@Nocturnal_Mee]

@@fingchowder incel

[@rossgriffin5703]

Free house, education, money, health care, dental. Whats not to like.

[@rossgriffin5703]

Should have stayed in his own country.

[@raptorblue193]

Being part Yugoslav myself I feel so sad for trichae