A man has entered a plea of not guilty regarding the attempted murder of ten individuals on a crowded train. Anthony Williams, aged 32, was apprehended in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire following an incident on an LNER train traveling from Doncaster to London on November 1. He made his court appearance at Cambridge Crown Court today and denied a total of 21 charges.
Williams is facing allegations of ten counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm, and one count of possessing a bladed weapon in connection to the train assault. Additionally, he is accused of attempting to murder a 17-year-old on a DLR train at Pontoon Dock in London on the same day.
Further charges against Williams include attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough on October 31, and an attempted murder against a 22-year-old man in the same city on the same day. He is also charged with affray, reportedly occurring at Ritzy’s Barbers in town on October 31, as well as the theft of a pack of knives valued at £15 from an Asda store in Stevenage.
Court records indicate that the alleged incidents of attempted murder and attempted assault occurred around 7 pm on October 31. The affray incident at the barbershop reportedly took place around 7:20 pm, while the theft occurred around 10:30 pm on the same day.
According to the prosecutor, Faye Rolfe, a common assault is said to have happened around 7 am on November 1, with armed police intervening at Huntingdon station on the same day.
Eyewitnesses suggest that a knife-wielding individual boarded the train at Peterborough and initiated an attack shortly after the train’s departure at approximately 7:30 pm. Reports from passengers onboard described chaotic scenes, with individuals being trampled and seeking refuge in restrooms as screams echoed throughout the train.
One witness initially mistook the events for a Halloween prank before realizing the seriousness as blood was shed. A total of 11 individuals sustained severe injuries during the stabbing incident and were swiftly transported to hospitals for medical attention. Williams has been detained in custody pending a trial scheduled for October 26.
