By Basant El-Faramawy
A football fan who intervened during a knife attack on a train told a court he believed the attacker was "on a mission" as he grappled with him before locking himself in a toilet to call emergency services.
Witness describes confrontation
Stephen Crean testified at Cambridge Crown Court that he was on the York to London King's Cross service on 1 November last year when a young girl ran past warning of a man with a large knife. Crean, who was wearing Nottingham Forest clothing, said he moved toward the attacker, Anthony Williams, to stop him from using the weapon. He described the struggle as "like Come Dancing, we were all over the place," and said his fingers were cut as Williams twisted the knife.
Attacker's demeanor
Crean said Williams asked him, "Do you want to die?" and produced what he called "quite a big kitchen knife." He added that Williams appeared calm and normal, stating: "100% he was fine, he looked normal, he was just on a mission, he didn't seem angry." After the struggle, Crean locked himself in a toilet, called 999, and only emerged when he heard police radios.
Charges and further allegations
Williams, 33, of Langford Road, Peterborough, denies 10 counts of attempted murder relating to the train attack between Peterborough and Huntingdon. He also denies four other attempted murders alleged to have occurred in Peterborough on 31 October and on a Docklands Light Railway train in east London in the early hours of 1 November. Prosecutors told the court that the fact Williams carried out the attacks is not in dispute; the jury must decide whether he intended to kill. The trial continues.
