Jurors at Cambridge Crown Court have been shown CCTV footage of a man carrying out a knife attack on passengers aboard a London-bound train. Anthony Williams, 33, is accused of bringing terror to the Doncaster to London LNER service, stabbing 10 people during a rampage, prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC told the court on Wednesday.
Attack on the LNER service
Williams denies the attempted murder of 10 people on the train, which had to make an emergency stop in Huntingdon on the evening of Saturday, 1 November last year. He also denies trying to kill four other people in Peterborough and east London.
At the opening of his trial, jurors were told that whether Williams carried out the attacks was not in question, but they must consider whether he intended to kill.
Footage shown to jurors
In the footage, the knifeman, dressed in a black hoodie, trousers and cap, is seen walking down the aisle of the train before producing the knife. He appears to speak to passengers while holding the blade in his right hand. At one point, he stops and leans quickly towards a passenger seat before continuing through the carriage as people move ahead of him. He then turns around, with the knife clearly visible, before walking into the next carriage.
Jurors also saw footage of passenger Stephen Crean attempting to wrestle the knife from Williams. Mr Paxton said Williams asked him: “Do you want to die?”
Passengers fled in terror
Describing events on the train, Mr Paxton told the jury: “The defendant brought terror which resulted in them fleeing and some fighting for their lives.” He added that some stood tall to protect others, trying to de-escalate the rampage, defending themselves and putting themselves in harm’s way to protect strangers.
Some fled in sheer terror, locking themselves in toilets, while others tried to de-escalate the attack, the court heard. One of the victims, 73-year-old David Presland, was attacked after he fell to the ground, and other passengers fled, but eventually ran out of train in their bid to escape.
“In sheer terror, the train passengers ran for their lives, hiding away in locked toilets, store cabinets, or under seats until many fleeing the defendant literally ran out of train; they could go no further; they were trapped on the moving train,” Mr Paxton said.
Williams denies 14 counts of attempted murder. The trial continues.
