By Fatma Younis
Anthony Williams, 33, denied 14 counts of attempted murder at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday, including 10 charges related to a knife attack on a London-bound LNER train on 1 November last year.
Court hears details of train attack
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC told the jury that the service left Peterborough at 7.29pm and was stopped at Huntingdon station 15 minutes later after the driver’s quick action. Passenger Raza Aslam said he heard a man saying “the devil won’t win” before seeing Williams with a knife. Aslam grabbed a frying pan but was stabbed in the hand, describing an “immediate loss of energy”. He told police Williams had “the greatest delight on his face” and “loved seeing us in desperation.”
Dog’s barking credited with saving passenger
Scott Green, travelling with his dog Poppy, was stabbed in the side. He tried to grab the knife but could not remove it. Green said Poppy began barking and Williams “done a runner” down the aisle. The prosecutor said it appeared Poppy “saved the day” for Green. The court heard Williams had previously been bitten by a dog in an unrelated incident.
Multiple passengers injured, some fought back
Stephen Crean, a Nottingham Forest fan returning from a match, confronted Williams and was stabbed in the back, hip, fingers and head. A recording of his 999 call from a locked toilet was played in court. Crean said Williams asked him, “Do you want to die?” Pensioner David Presland, 73, fell while fleeing and was stabbed on the floor. Scott Bletcher, stabbed in the head, chest and forearm, hid in a bike rack and told the 999 operator, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”
Defendant denies further attacks
Williams also denies the attempted murders of three people in Peterborough on 31 October and of a 17-year-old boy at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of 1 November. He has admitted intending to cause harm but denies all 14 attempted murder counts. The trial continues.
