Anthony Williams, 32, has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of 10 people during a knife attack on a packed LNER train near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The incident occurred on November 1 on a service from Doncaster to London, leaving 11 passengers with severe injuries.
Court appearance and charges
Appearing at Cambridge Crown Court, Williams denied a total of 21 counts. The charges include ten counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm, and one count of possession of a bladed article related to the train attack. He is also accused of the attempted murder of a 17-year-old on a DLR train at Pontoon Dock in London on the same day.
Further charges involve the attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough on October 31 and the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man in the same city on the same day. Williams additionally faces a charge of affray at Ritzy’s Barbers in Peterborough on October 31, and theft of a pack of knives worth £15 from an Asda in Stevenage.
Timeline of alleged incidents
Prosecutor Faye Rolfe outlined the timeline: the two attempted murders and attempted wounding are alleged to have occurred around 7pm on October 31. The affray at the barbershop is said to have taken place at about 7.20pm, and the theft around 10.30pm. A common assault allegedly happened at around 7am on November 1, leading to armed police swooping on Huntingdon station.
It is believed a knifeman boarded the train at Peterborough and began the attack shortly after departure at around 7.30pm. Witnesses described passengers being trampled and hiding in toilets as screams rang out. One passenger initially thought it was a Halloween prank before being covered in blood.
Impact and next steps
A total of 11 people suffered severe injuries in the stabbing spree and were rushed to hospital for treatment. Williams was remanded into custody ahead of a trial scheduled for October 26.
