Man in court charged with attempted murders after Huntingdon train stabbings

A man charged over a mass stabbing on a busy train in Cambridgeshire and a separate attack at a London station earlier that day has been remanded in custody.

Anthony Williams, 32, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after several people were stabbed on an LNER train from Doncaster to London on Saturday.

He is also charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article.

An LNER staff member is in a critical but stable condition in hospital following the stabbings on the high-speed service, while four other people remain in hospital.

Separately, Williams is charged with one count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article over an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of Saturday, where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.

He allegedly used a “large kitchen knife” in both attacks, according to court documents.

Williams appeared in the dock in handcuffs with four security officers alongside him, and spoke softly to confirm his name, age and address.

He was not asked to enter pleas and when asked his address mumbled “no fixed abode”.

It is understood he is not known to the security services or counter-terrorism policing, and had not been referred to the Government anti-extremism scheme Prevent.

Opposing bail for Williams, prosecutor Olaide Esan told the hearing: “The defendant has attempted to murder 11 people in total.

“These are serious allegations. These are very serious offences.

“The defendant is a risk to the trains and to the members of the public.”

The assault charge Williams faces relates to him allegedly attacking a male police officer in custody after being arrested, leaving him with a “broken nose”, Ms Olaide said.

Williams has been charged with the attempted murder of Scott Bletcher; Michael Paffett; Kevin Deely; Jonathan Gjoshe; David Presland; Sachin Balakrishnan; Stephen Crean; Samir Zitouni; Rasza Aslam and Scott Green.

He is also accused of the attempted murder of Isaiah Ishmael Idris earlier the same day at a DLR station.

District judge Ken Sheraton remanded Williams into custody to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.

Saturday’s attack is understood to have started shortly after the train left Peterborough station.

Passengers pulled the emergency alarms on the LNER service and it was diverted to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.